


Southern Belle

by LucindaAM, Thepracticalheartmom



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-21
Updated: 2020-12-18
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:14:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 31
Words: 42,234
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26574319
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LucindaAM/pseuds/LucindaAM, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thepracticalheartmom/pseuds/Thepracticalheartmom
Summary: A Southern Belle, America's Golden Boy, The Winter Soldier, what could go wrong?
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Reader, James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers/Reader, Steve Rogers/Reader
Comments: 187
Kudos: 126





	1. The New Recruit

**Author's Note:**

> This is our first collaborative fan fiction, and we plan to update once a week. We hope you enjoy!

Tired after a long day of training and briefings, you find yourself in the cafeteria starving and looking for a place to sit. Your tray feels heavy as you see all of the other tables filled with people you don’t know. You spot a redheaded woman sitting alone in the far back corner of the cafeteria. “Well mama didn’t teach you to leave anybody out.” You whisper to yourself as you head towards the woman. You notice that everyone is eyeing you nervously as you stride across the cafeteria, but you really don’t care. Sometimes the people everyone is afraid of are the best people. You set your tray down without asking, and the redhead speaks up. “I’ve got a lot red in my ledger, you probably don’t want to sit here.”

“Well I’ve got a lot of black in mine, you can have some.” You quip with a smile and a little bit of a drawl. “I’m y/n. You are?”

The woman just looks at you for a minute, a little stunned, before responding. “Natasha, I like you.”

You both eat in relative silence, every once in a while sharing an observation about the people around you; pointing out stupidity as you see it. 

Soon, lunch is over and you realize you need to head into another training session. “I’ll see you around?” You ask Natasha with a smile.

Natasha eyes you, sizing you up, and nods and walks away.

\----------------------------------

**Natasha’s POV**

I walk into the hallway leading to Fury’s office, smiling to myself. I couldn’t help but think that the new girl was perfect to partner with. Sure, she was kind of green, but that could be fixed. I lift my hand to knock on the door, but Fury is already calling me in.

I walk in, swaying my hips. I sit, and kick up my feet onto his desk. “Nick, I want the new girl.”

Fury looks at me skeptically, “You want the new girl?”

“Did I stutter.”

“Why do you want the new girl? Need some target practice Romanov?” 

“She’s got spunk. She ignored everyone and sat with me at lunch.”

“She’s brave, I'll give her that.”

We stare at each other for a minute. Fury expects me to break first, I know it. 

I lean in close, shrug and whisper. “She reminds me of me. I can work with that.”

Fury sits back a little stunned, but hands me a file. “She’s all yours. Don’t kill her.”

\----------------------------------

Later that day, Fury and Agent Coulson sit at their computers, video conferencing. Fury laughs as he recounts Natasha walking into his office earlier in the day. “She walked in here like she owned the place, told me she wanted the new girl, I had to mess with her a little bit.”

Phil looked shocked. “Natasha’s never wanted to partner with anyone except Clint before, what changed?”

“Laura has been asking Barton to take more time off, and Romanov says the new girl reminds her of her.”

“That’s either a good thing or a dangerous thing.”

“A lot of people thought that Romanov was dangerous and look how that turned out.”

They shrug, agreeing that Natasha knows what she’s doing, and continue to discuss other operations and happenings between the two bases.

\--------------------------------

The next morning, Natasha met you at the door with a smile that made your skin crawl. “You’re mine, let’s go.”

The other agents in the lobby looked at you with pity in their eyes. They didn’t think you’d be making it out of this alive and whispered to each other. It didn’t make you feel any better about the situation.

She led you to a training room and handed you a pair of pointe shoes. “Put these on.”

You looked at the shoes quizzically, unsure of which shoe went on which foot, they looked the same. You slipped the shoes on, and laced the ribbons up your calf. Natasha looked on and once you looked done, she ordered you to the bar, leading you through a set of exercises that you thought looked easy. 

Once you thought your feet would fall off, finding yourself wincing with every step, Natasha ordered you to take off the shoes and get ready to go for some more intense training.

You wondered if it was too late to opt out of being a SHIELD agent. Maybe that crooked senator you’d been working for would take you back. You’d only blown a little whistle. Just a tiny one. Surely he would forgive you.

You followed Natasha into the workout room and every eye in the room was on you. She led you over to a treadmill and gestured for you to step up. She turned on the machine and quickly sped up the pace until you were running at nearly a dead sprint. You kept it up as long as you could, and then kept going. You were nothing if not stubborn as a mule. You refused to let her make you quit. 

When she finally let you off, you got off the treadmill and promptly vomited into a nearby trash can. All of the other recruits looked over in pity, and Natasha simply looked on and motioned to the sparring mat. 

You made the mistake of lunging first. She used your own body weight against you and threw you a portion of the room away. You stood back up and she rushed you, jumping on your shoulders and choking you between her legs.  _ This isn’t the worst way to die,  _ you thought to yourself as you realized there was no getting her off, you stumbled a few steps and the black spots in your vision began to get larger. 

Just as you were about to collapse to the ground, Natasha jumped off of you and somehow ended up on the other side of the mat in the blink of an eye. You groaned and massaged your neck, coughing a little as you tried to suck in some of that precious oxygen.

Natasha shook her head. “Not good enough. Again.”

You groaned.

The next day, and the day after, and the day after that were much the same. Ballet in the morning, a long fast run, and then getting beat to a pulp before lunch with Natasha and more training and briefings than you could count with the other recruits after that. The training was hard, but it was like breaking a new horse, you had to build trust that she’d never take you beyond your limits. And she never did. 

  
  



	2. The One Where Steve Gets A  New Neighbor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The reader moves into her new apartment, the one where Steve gets a new neighbor...

You looked like you’d just stepped off the pages of one of those glossy western magazines your mom liked to read. Your boots were well worn but in good shape, brown with sunflowers scattered across them. Your favorite flower. You wore tight fitting jeans and a white blouse with sunflowers scattered across it, as you carried the first round of boxes up the stairs. You had just rounded the corner when you saw a door open, and none other than Captain America stepped out. You weren’t phased, he was just a person, just like all the other people you’d met. Still, it would have been nice of Natasha to warn you before you’d moved across town to the apartment she’d recommended.

He waved and you met his bright blue eyes. “Are you my new neighbor?” he asked.

“Yep, I’m y/n.” you said as you unlocked your door and made your way into the apartment next to his. He followed you to the door before asking if you needed any help.

“Well,” you paused “Mama never did raise me to turn down the help of a gentleman.”

Steve blushed before following you back down to the moving truck. He saw the furniture and realized you were planning to move it all by yourself. “How were you planning to get all this upstairs?” he asked.

“I honestly have no idea.”

Steve picks up the couch one armed, and begins to walk back inside and up the stairs. You run in behind him laughing in a way Steve would later describe as musical, and then you yelled “Pivot!” before dissolving into a fit of giggles.

Steve looks very confused, but smiles at your laughter. 

You shake your head at him, tears streaming down your face as you kept laughing. Then, you turned and headed back to the truck to grab more of your stuff.

Steve turned around, a smirk still on his face as he takes your couch up to your apartment and sets it down. You were only a few minutes behind him, a large sign in your hands. “Central Perk?” He asked, scratching his head. He vaguely wondered if it would be rude to point out the typo and hoped you’d at least gotten a good discount.

You laughed again. “It’s from a show.” 

Steve was already reaching for the notebook he kept in his back pocket. “A show?”

You nodded, not paying attention as Steve started flipping through the pages. “A really good one. Old, but good.” You leaned your sign against the wall above the coffee nook.

“Which one?” Steve asked, pen at the ready.

“I promise I’ll have you over and watch it with you one of these days, but you have to wait to see it with me.’

“It’s a date.” Steve smiles and then stutters and flushes. “Um, I mean if you want it to be?”

“Oh I definitely want it to be.”

Later, after all the furniture was moved into the house, you poured a glass of sweet tea and offered some to Steve. “Tea?” 

“Sure,” he accepted the glass and took a big gulp. He looks at you for a second, and then asks “Do you like tea with your sugar?”

“Tea without sugar is like church without a choir. Its blasphemy.”

As if on cue, your stomach started to growl. Steve smiled and said “Let me show you the church of the North. Pizza isn’t as good here as in Brooklyn, but it’ll do.”

“Is that a date, handsome?”

“It is if you want it to be.”

“Guess I’ll make up my mind once we’re there. Pizza better be worth it. There’s a lot riding on this.” You winked.

Steve stepped away into his own apartment to grab his wallet and keys, and you found yourself a little pizzeria down the street from your building. Steve draped his jacket over your shoulders. A few years in D.C. and you still weren’t used to the cold evening air. “Thank you,” you said softly. “That’s one thing I miss about Texas, the warm summer evenings were always my favorite. We’d sit outside with the horses and eat dinner.”

“Horses?” Steve asked, “That must have been a fun way to grow up.”

“It was. I used to spend a lot of time with my horses, I don’t get to see them very often anymore.”

Your pizza was delivered to your table and you picked up a slice biting into the gooey cheese and letting out a moan that was nothing short of sexual. Steve stuttered and his jaw dropped as he thought about that sound. That sound was going to cause him to need a cold shower later. “Is it good?” He smiled trying to play off his discomfort.

“Better than sex.”

Steve gaped like a fish as he stared at you. His ears turned an interesting color of red. You watched them get darker and darker as you took another bite of pizza.

Eventually, he cleared his throat.

“So what brings you to D.C.?” He asked.

You politely pretended not to notice the crack in his voice.

“I got what I thought was my dream job with a senator. Discovered that he was into some shady shit and blew the whistle on him. Still figuring out just what life’s going to look like from now on, but I love it here so far.”

At that moment, both your phone and Steve’s phone dinged with a message. You glanced at your phone discreetly. ‘A mission, leaving in 2 hours.’ You both looked up and tried to find a reason to get going, ending up awkwardly pretending to be tired. “Well, we’d better get back and get to bed. I have work tomorrow.” Steve said.

  
  



	3. The Mission

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve, Natasha and the reader go on their first mission together...what could go wrong...

Steve stepped onto the quinjet, a little more tense than usual. Natasha was already on his tail, telling him about the latest potential date she’d recently scoped out for him. “She’s from accounting. She’s good with numbers. You’ll have so much in common.”

Steve sighed. “Why does her being good with numbers mean we have something in common?”

Natasha shrugged a shoulder. “You’re almost in the triple digits Steve. That’s a lot of candles to count for your next birthday cake.”

Steve’s shoulders slumped as he took a seat on the jet. “I was just on a date, Romanov. You can stop trying to set me up now. I might not have the ‘game’ that Tony always talks about, but I can still get my own woman. Thank you.”

Natasha watched him suspiciously. “No.” She said after a minute. “I don’t believe you. Pics or it didn’t happen, Rogers.”

Steve sighed again, and tried to change the subject. “Wasn’t your new partner coming on this one?”

You walk into the quinjet, ready for the mission, hoping that all of the training you’d been doing would be enough. Your tac suit hugged your body like a dream, your hands betrayed a little of the nervousness you were trying to hide. “Hi Romanov.”

Steve glanced at the new voice and then at Nat before his eyes shot back to your face. His own face paled a degree or two. 

Natasha smiled. “Speak of the devil . . . Rogers, meet my greenie. Y/N. This is Steve. Steve, this is Y/N.”

Steve crossed his arms over his chest and scowled. “We’ve met.”

“Hi Steve, I guess we both know why we needed to cut our date short.”

Nat’s eyes volleyed between the two of you and she wished she had a lollipop on her just so she could suck it dramatically. “No pics, but it DID happen. Fascinating.”

Steve shook his head and looked at you. “Well, I’m glad Natasha has you to watch her back now, but I’m afraid you can’t come with on this one.”

You crossed your own arms across your chest and glared at him. “Says who? Last I checked, Romanov here had final say.”

The two of you looked over at Natasha who was standing with a smirk on her face. “She goes.” She said firmly. 

Steve opened his mouth to argue, but Natasha shot him a glare that could stop even Hulk dead in his tracks. “She goes.” She repeated.

You watched in angry fascination as the muscle in Steve’s jaw ticked so hard it looked like it was going to explode right off his face. But the three of you knew there was nothing he could say about it. 

He stomped away and sat down in one of the chairs. “Strap in.” He ordered. 

You mock saluted so hard, you almost poked your own eye out, but it was worth it. “Sir, yes sir.” You muttered sarcastically, finding your own seat.

The quinjet lifted off the tarmac, you leaned your head back and tried to steel yourself for what was about to happen. Your first mission, your first mission was with Steve Rogers and Natasha Romanov. Holy shit what did you get yourself into.

You let yourself wonder, one last time, if it was too late to go back to your old job. Then the quinjet was shooting into the night sky, and it was too late to turn back. Steve was still glaring at you from across the plane. “What’s the matter Stevie, cat got your tongue. We were having such a good time earlier.”

“Yeah, Stevie.” Natasha smirked. “Wanna talk about what happened earlier?”

Steve huffs and pulls up the mission briefing loudly clearing his throat. “Here’s the plan, ladies; Romanov, you get in and take out the thugs, L/N, you get the hostages out, leave no one behind and then you get back to the jet. I’ll be right behind you. No detours, no heroics. Get in and get out. Got it?”

You grit your teeth, knowing you could do more than simply babysit the civilians, but you took one look at the low burning anger in Steve’s eyes and cut your losses. You nodded shortly.

Before you knew it the jet was landing a short hike away from the base. You unlocked your belt and stood, heading out of the jet before anyone could stop you.

Natasha shot Steve a look he couldn’t quite decipher as she followed you out. Then the three of you started your hike towards the enemy base. You always stayed a few steps ahead of Steve and Natasha, trying not to let your anger show, but you knew that your hips were swaying a little more than usual. You hoped he was watching because if he kept acting like this, your ass was all he was ever going to see.

The jungle around you was dense, and you watched your step as you noticed the brush getting a little lighter. You scanned the ground for trip wires and other traps, but found none. As you neared the door, you noticed a soldier with a metal arm near the door. He was holding one of the biggest guns you’d ever seen and was scanning the terrain through what looked like swim goggles on his face. You fell back in line with Steve and Natasha and silently warned them of trouble up ahead. Natasha took the lead and went first, the quietest of the three of you.

You made it into the clearing a little ways, Natasha and you fanning out away from Steve by a couple of yards when you were spotted. You saw him lift his rifle and fire before Natasha could react. You leapt on top of her pushing her to the ground as you saw a blur of red white and blue jump in front of your line of sight. The next thing you heard was the sickening sound that a bullet makes as it pierces flesh. You saw red bloom across Steve’s shoulder as he pressed a hand to it. You had no choice but to retreat. You pushed Steve back towards the jet, sprinting as fast and as hard as you could to keep up with Natasha willing Steve to keep up. For the first time since you started training, you were grateful for the hell Natasha had been putting you through.

Once you made it back to the jet, you shoved Steve back down onto one of the benches and grabbed the first aid kit off the shelf, cursing under your breath. “Do you know how stupid you are?”

Natasha took one look at your irate face and gave you a wide berth as she headed towards the pilot's chair. You threaded the needle and cut through the tac suit to get a better look at the wound. It was already beginning to heal. “I’ve got to get that bullet out or it's going to heal around it.”

Steve simply nodded, trying not to make any noise. You set down the needle and grabbed a sterile surgical blade, slicing open the skin and muscle until you could clearly see the bullet. You tried to grasp it with long forceps, but ended up having to press your fingers into the wound. It was just too slippery. Your hands were covered in blood as you continued to berate Steve. “I had it. You couldn’t trust me to save my own partner’s back. Because of you, we didn’t get to those people. Those innocent people who are being tortured and experimented on. That’s on you. If you can’t trust me in the field, I don’t know how I can expect you to trust me outside of it.”

Steve looked down at your bloody hands, torn between wanting to defend himself and realizing that you were right. He winced at the first pass of the needle through his skin. It was nothing in comparison to the way it felt to have your hands in his shoulder digging out the bullet, but it was almost worse because he knew your words were true. He’d really screwed up this time.

Steve reached up a hand, and pressed it against yours. Your fingers stilled, but you didn’t take your eyes off the wound.

“I know, doll. I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.” He said earnestly.

Your eyes drifted up to his face and for a long minute, you gazed at his eyes, measuring the truth that you saw there.

Finally, you nodded once and went back to your task.

The jet was silent the rest of the ride home.

  
  



	4. The Winter Soldier

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Story Time and the Punishment of Steve

You and Steve went back to your separate apartments. The next day, you sat with Natasha as she taught you to write your mission reports. Steve came by and offered to help, but you both waved him off. 

He found you again at lunch, but you ignored him. 

Then, after lunch, you headed to the training room for some time to spar, and run, something you never thought you’d learn to enjoy. You’d been running in the mornings, but today was the exception. You ran several miles and then joined Natasha on the mats for some sparring time. Steve walked in as you and Natasha traded punches. You acted like he didn’t exist. If he couldn’t prove that he trusted you, you weren’t interested. 

There were enough macho men in Texas. You wanted a man who could meet you where you were at.

Steve stood in the corner and watched you trade blows. It took everything in him to stick to the sidelines as he watched Natasha analyze your weak points. He noticed you were favoring your right side and had to physically bite back the words to call it out to you.

A few minutes later, it didn’t matter. Turned out, you’d been feigning the whole time.

In a move that Steve and Natasha hadn’t been expecting and that you most certainly hadn’t thought you’d be able to pull off, you spun around, aiming a kick at Natasha’s left side, knocking the wind out of her as she collapsed to the ground.

“Holy shit.” You breathed out.

Natasha groaned on the ground and you took an instinctive step back. “I didn’t teach you that.” She groaned, narrowing her eyes at you.

You shook your head and raised your hands in surrender. “I learned that the hard way. Some of those farm hands get a little too handsy . . . you know?”

Steve’s jaw clenched.

You were staring wide eyed at the spy, and didn’t have the time to pay attention to Steve’s minor fit of jealousy in the corner. “I didn’t think that would work. I swear.”

Natasha pushed herself to her feet and rolled her shoulders. She took a step towards you and you took another step back. She cocked her head and took another step towards you. You took two more steps back. She chuckled and you felt your heart sink. You’d never once heard her laugh.

You were going to die.

“This is how I die” You mutter to yourself, Natasha looks to Steve. 

“Hey Steve, your turn, come spar with your girlfriend.” She yells loudly, more than a few agents looks your way. 

You closed your eyes. “I change my mind. THIS is how I die.” You try not to blush as you take up a stance in the middle of the mat.

“Are you sure you’re up to this Steve? I just stitched you up yesterday. Be a shame to ruin my hard work now.”

“I’m fine.” 

Steve was used to pulling his punches, but he wasn’t used to other people pulling theirs. You were fast, he had to give you that. You were almost as fast as he was. Your fight was short lived as you ended up with your legs around Steve’s neck, a move that Natasha had shown you. He stopped so quickly that you thought you might have hurt him as he lifted you from his shoulders and sat you on the ground. Blush tinted his cheeks and ears and he rushed from the room. Natasha looked on and just laughed. “Let’s hit the showers.”

You followed Nat out of the gym, ignoring the looks of the other trainees as the two of you left. You didn’t let your posture relax as you entered the locker room. She’d attacked you more than once after training had “finished” and you still weren’t convinced that she’d forgiven you for earlier.

Natasha didn’t say anything as she led you through the maze of lockers.

She opened hers and you wearily followed suit. “You did good.” Natasha said suddenly.

You jumped. “Uh. Thanks?”

Natasha smiled at the hesitance in your voice as she stripped her shirt off. She heard a sharp intake of breath and she turned to see you looking at her abdomen with an odd look in your eye.

She glanced down and saw what had caught your interest.

“He did that to you.” You said with certainty, pointing at the wound. “The guy from the mission. The one with the metal arm.”

“What makes you say that?” Natasha asked carefully, not giving anything away.

There was a firm undercurrent in her voice that made you glance up sharply and lean away from her. You gulped. “It . . . it looks like Steve’s. Before it started healing. I may be a greenie, but I know my guns. That wound was made by the same kind of bullet fired by the same kind of gun.”

Nat looked at you for another long moment as she slipped a clean shirt over her head. She debated telling you anything, but she hadn’t lied to Fury all those weeks ago when she’d asked to be partnered with you. You reminded her of herself. Maybe you could help with this.

“Most agencies don’t believe he exists. The ones that do call him the Winter Soldier.” She started.

“He from Russia?” You asked, leaning against a locker.

Natasha glanced at you with a curious look in her eye. You shrugged a shoulder. “Who else would name their secret pet assassin that? They might as well have signed the bullet From Russia with love.”

Natasha let out a long breath, unsure if she should laugh or not. There were times when you were almost too perceptive for your own good. “Yeah. Well. No one knows where he comes from. Guy’s a myth.”

You glanced meaningfully at her abdomen where the scar was already hidden away. “Yeah. Some myth.”

Natasha shook her head. “Aaand that’s enough story time for you. Come on. We have work to do.”

She grabbed your arm and dragged you out of the locker room. “Is it gonna kill me?”

“No.”

“Am I gonna like it?”

“Probably not.”

“Great. Can’t wait.”

  
  



	5. Hey Soldier

Somehow, you and Natasha both ended up at your apartment. You tried not to read too much into how Natasha had walked right to your bedroom without asking where it was.

You also tried not to think about where she’d pulled the shopping bag of new clothes from. All in your size, of course.

“Try these on.” She ordered, tossing the bag at you.

“Wanna tell me what’s going on, yet?”

Natasha sat on your bed and leaned against her elbows. She shot you a smirk.

“Guess not.” You grumbled under your breath as you shucked your shirt and your pants and started changing. You quickly pull on the red and white striped skirt and blue shirt. You glance in the full length mirror and glance back at Nat who was texting something on her phone.

“Really?” You asked. 

Nat glanced up from her phone and quirked a brow. “What? I think it looks cute.”

You sigh as you turn back to the mirror. You can admit it’s cute. But it’s not your style. You reach over and grab your boots, slipping them on. “I could do worse, I suppose.”

You reach over and slip your cowboy hat on. You turned back to Nat.

“Absolutely not.” She said. “No hat.”

You crossed your arms over your chest. “Until I get a little information about what it is I’m dressing up for, YES hat.”

Nat stood up from the bed and approached you slowly in a way that made you feel a little like prey. She reached a hand up and plucked your hat from your head, tossing it behind her. It landed perfectly on your lamp and it was your turn to quirk an eyebrow at her.

“No hat. And no info. Get used to it.”

Nat’s phone dinged and she glanced at it. “Just a second.” She said.

She slipped out of your bedroom, leaving you staring at your hat across the room and debating the wisdom in putting it back on anyway.

Across the hallway, Steve was looking at his phone. He reread Nat’s text for the thousandth time. “You, Y/N. Date. Tonight. No arguments.”

He groaned and ran a hand through his hair. “Romanov’s scary.” He says laughing to himself as he pulled on his leather jacket. “Where are we meeting?” he texts back, fumbling with the keyboard.

“Your front door. Right now.” 

Steve steps out of his door, rolling his eyes. Soon after, he sees you be shoved out your front door looking like you walked straight out of a cheesy patriotic dance routine.

You spun back towards your door, not seeing Steve standing awkwardly behind you, and kicked at your door with your boots when Nat slammed it shut in your face. You muttered some choice curse words that made Steve’s ears turn red before you reluctantly turned around and finally, finally, saw him standing there.

“Oops. Didn’t see you standing there, Captain. Don’t suppose you know what’s going on?”

Steve looked down as his phone buzzed again. “Go outside, black SUV, it’s running.”

“I suppose we go outside and see what else your handler has planned for us tonight.” Steve said, turning the phone so you could read it.

You rolled your shoulders back with as much grace as you could muster and took Steve’s arm as he offered it to you. “Sounds like a plan to me. But just know if we die tonight, I’m planning on haunting Natasha for all time. You’re free to join me if you’d like.”

The SUV was running with an agent you’d seen before around the Triskellion behind the wheel. You and Steve slid in the backseat and the driver pulled off toward the road. Soon, you found yourself outside of the Smithsonian Institute. 

You glanced at the museum and turned to Steve in confusion. “What do you suppose is in there?”

Steve was glaring at the building, the vein on the side of his temple already pulsing. “I think I have an idea.” He grumbled. He was going to find a way to get Natasha back for this. One way or another.

Steve didn’t elaborate on that enigmatic statement before he opened his door and got out of the car. You followed suit, not waiting for him to come around to your side of the car.

Steve held out his hand to you as you two approached the steps to the museum. “Ready?” He asked.

You laughed. “You say that like we’re about to head on a mission.” You said.

Steve sighed. “Aren’t we?” He asked.

Then he tugged on your hand and led you up the steps.

You followed Steve up the steps, your boots clicking softly as you climbed. “What do you think she had planned? I’m honestly a little scared.” Steve didn’t answer, but you didn’t need one when you entered the building and were guided into a not yet open exhibit, the Captain America exhibit. Steve looked around, but still a little in awe of everything. You found yourself dumbstruck. “Well, this is interesting.” You gaped.

Steve wandered around the room, looking at the pictures and old mementos of a life that didn’t seem all that old from his point of view.

You watched him for a minute before you let your own eyes turn and wander around the exhibits. A bright flash of colorful red, white and blue caught your eye. You stepped closer, your eyes narrowing as you took in a picture of Captain America, foot pressed hard against a fallen Adolph Hitler, colorful women in an outfit too similar to yours to be a coincidence fawning behind him. Steve walked up behind you, following your line of sight. “God, she’s cheesy.” 

“Bless her heart, I’m going to kill her.”

“Want some help?”

You turned the corner to see a little stage, and a small table set for two. “Well, maybe we see where this goes, first.” You looked at Steve, and he held out a hand to help you up the small set of stairs. 

The two of you sat in silence for a minute as you dug into the, admittedly, delicious food. You’d never been one to sit in silence though, so before you could think better about it, you blurted out the first thing that came to mind; “Wanna tell me why you ran like a bat out of hell in the training room earlier?”

Steve choked on his food.

You stood to smack Steve’s back a few times. “You alright soldier?” You smiled. You waited until he nodded once before you dropped another bomb on him. “I figured you’d like my thighs around your face.”

“Um.. it was nice.. I mean… it was a good move… I...I… I’m getting nowhere here. Bucky would have kicked my tail for that.” Steve stuttered.

You nodded and took another sip of wine. You gestured over Steve’s shoulder with your chin. “James Buchanan Barnes of the 107th?” You asked.

Steve turned in his chair to see the huge picture of Bucky hanging proudly behind him. He smiled sadly. “Yeah. He really had a way with the ladies.”

You smiled softly and felt the mood take a downwards shift. The bleeding heart in you wanted to make it right for the soldier who’d already been through so much. “You’re not so bad yourself, soldier.”

Steve turned back to you and smiled. “You think so, huh?”

You shrugged nonchalantly. “Well I did wrap my thighs around your face not twelve hours ago and we hadn’t even been on a date yet.”

Steve choked again, but this time, he waved you off as you stood to help him.

“Wanna go for a walk?” He urged, desperate to get you out of the museum.

“Sure. One thing first though.” 

Steve took a deep breath and held it nervously. 

“I wanna see the suit.”

Steve chuckled weakly and let his shoulders relax. “Yeah. Uh. Sure. It’s over there I think.”

Steve took your hand again as he led you to the display.

You took in the suit and then glanced at the man beside you. You lifted a brow and that mischievous look that Steve was starting to recognize lit up in your eyes. He tensed. “You know . . .” You drawled. “Seems a shame that I have the man standing here but the suits up there. How about you try it on for me?”

Steve blanched. “Uh . . . here? Now?” He stuttered.

You shrugged and did a little twirl. “Well I did get all dressed up for you, soldier.”

Steve blushes crimson and calls over one of the staff members milling around to help them. He disappears in the back room for a moment and comes out looking like he could have just been in one of the propaganda films playing on screens all over the exhibit. You cat call loudly, “Hey handsome, you lookin for a gal to take to the carnival?” Your southern drawl lengthening the words and his smile grew larger. 

“How about a dance instead?”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for coming along with us, there will be more to come soon! We love reading your comments and seeing your kudos!


	6. Stronger Than You Think

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We were on a writing roll tonight! So enjoy a few extra chapters on us. ;)

Steve barged into Fury’s office without knocking. “I want the new girl.”

Fury glanced up from his desk. “Why do people keep bargaining into my office demanding recruits? It still says ‘Director’ on the door, doesn’t it?”

Steve crossed his arms and did his best impression of “I’m in charge now.”

Fury sighed and leaned back in his chair. “Let me ask you this, Rogers. What’s so special about the new girl?”

“She can keep up with me. She doesn’t need to be babysat on the field. I can work with that.”

“That’s the only reason you want the new girl? This doesn’t have anything to do with the date that I helped Natasha set up for you last night would it?”

Steve turned an interesting color but stood his ground. “No sir, it doesn’t.”

Fury hummed, non committedly. “Purely platonic, is it?”

Steve didn’t say anything. They both knew he didn’t need to.

Fury sighed as he took in Steve’s determined stance. If Natasha hadn’t already warned him that this was going to happen, he would have said no. As it stood though . . . 

“Fine. You have to break the news to Romanov though. She’ll probably shoot you.”

Steve let out a breath. “I can handle it.”

\------------------------------------------

You were eating lunch in the cafeteria when you heard your name being called over the tower’s intercom. “Y/N to Fury’s office, immediately.”

You looked at Natasha; she just smirked. “I guess you’d better get going.”

You felt like you were doing the walk of shame. What had you done? Did you screw something up? You tried to think through all of the training. Was it against some sort of code to date Steve? You didn’t think so, he was always by the book. Surely it wasn’t that. Your nerves got worse as you stepped out of the elevator and knocked on Fury’s office door.

“Come in.” A firm voice called.

You squared your shoulders and entered the room. Your instinct was to start apologizing for everything you could think of, but Natasha and your mama had trained you well. You kept silent. Fury may have eyes and ears everywhere but he didn’t know everything. You’d keep some of your sins to yourself, thank you very much.

Fury leaned back in his desk. “You’re quite the popular student around campus.” He started.

You didn’t respond.

He continued. “Now I have not one but TWO Avengers gunning for you as partner. Wanna tell me why?”

Your eyes bugged out of your head. “What do you mean two Avengers? I mean, I know Natasha for some reason decided she wanted to work with me, but who else?” You had a sneaking suspicion you knew exactly who else and you were going to kick his ass as soon as you got out of here; but with Fury? You played dumb.

Fury eyed you for a minute and you had the sneaking suspicion that he saw right through your act, but for whatever reason, he didn’t call you on it. “Captain Rogers has officially requested that you be transferred under his supervision. I’m inclined to accept his request.”

“Don’t suppose you’ll tell me why?” You asked, trying to keep the irritation out your voice.

Fury just stared at you and you only barely resisted the urge to roll your eyes. “No information. Got it. Will there be anything else, sir?” You asked.

Fury nodded. “Yes there is. You’ve done good here, agent. I think you deserve a few days off to get yourself settled. I’m told you just moved into a new apartment.”

You nodded. “Anything else?”

“Take some time. Make it home. Rogers will get in contact with you for your next mission.”

You nodded and swept out of the office and headed home. Someone had some explaining to do.

\------------------------------------------

Steve knew the second you got home. He could hear your angry grumbling as you stomped up the stairs and he knew he was in for an earful.

Sure enough, minutes later, his front door started rattling on its hinges as you pounded on it. “I know you’re in there, Rogers! Get out here and face me like a man!”

Steve sighed and moved to open his door, his list of reasons for keeping you under his protection already running through his mind. The entire list went right out the window as he opened the door and saw your furious expression. Even looking like you were going to kick his ass, you were still the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.

Still though, he had enough experience with Natasha to know it was a good idea to take a step back and raise his hands in the air, keeping them where you could see them.

“Listen,” He started. “It’s not what you think.”

You pushed past him, into his apartment. “You just can’t trust me to take care of myself, can you? Just can’t help yourself.”

You paced angrily in front of Steve who was well aware of just how dangerous the ground he was walking on was.

You didn’t seem to notice him as he slipped a hand into his pocket and pulled out his phone. He sent a quick ‘SOS’ to Nat.

Her response was almost immediate. ‘You made your bed, you need to sleep in it.’

Steve sighed and turned back to you. “I do trust you.” He tried to argue.

Your head swung in his direction with fire burning in your eyes. It was clear you didn’t believe him for a second. You turned and walked out the door. “I’ll see you when I get back from my forced vacation, Captain.”

Steve lunged forward and grabbed your arm. “Wait . . .” He started, eyebrows furrowing. Forced Vacation?

You didn’t give him a chance to ask the question as you gripped his wrist and flung him over your shoulder. Steve blinked up at the ceiling in confusion as you leaned over his body. “Don’t ever grab me again, Rogers.”

Steve couldn’t say anything as you turned and sauntered out of his apartment and into your own. He glanced down at his body and nope . . . Erkstine’s serum was still running through his veins. He was still the 300 lbs lab experiment he had been.

So how in the hell had you just pulled that off?


	7. The Feeling

Rumlow glanced at the text message on his phone and then back at Lars. “We have a mission. Wheels up in twenty. Widow and Roger are gonna be on it. We should offer our services. Wouldn’t want to leave Captains little bitch without any protection, now, would we?”

Rumlow and Lars smiled at one another and then looked over at the apartment building you shared with Steve. “You want me to pay her a ‘friendly little visit’?” Lars asked, licking his teeth.

Rumlow shook his head. “Always time for that later, Lars. How about you get first dibs on her once everything settles? For now? Just keep an eye on her. Two Avengers want her. I want to know why.” Rumlow sneered at the building and then turned back to Lars before he got into the car. “Eyes only, Lars.”

Rumlow peeled away. Lars glanced up at your building and smiled.

You were pacing around your living room, angrily muttering to yourself as you took another swig of whiskey. “Just who does that man think he is?” You demanded angrily. “I could kick his ass. I could kick all their asses.”

You were just about to take another swig of your drink when you saw a shadow pass in front of your door and you froze in your tracks. A feeling washed over you before. It was one you’d felt before when you’d still been with that no-good ex of yours.

You shivered and reached for the gun you’d taped under your bar. Your hand shaking a little as you aimed it at the door. With your other hand, you reached for your phone and typed a nervous text message to Steve. Mad as you were at him, in your drunken haze, there was no one else you wanted by your side.

‘Bad feeling. Need backup. SOS.’

Two thousand miles away, Steve’s phone dinged in his pocket, but he didn’t hear it over the sound of Rumlow’s briefing.

“Target is a mobile satellite launch platform. They were sending up their last payload when pirates took ‘em.”

“Any demands?” Steve asked.

“A billion and a half.” Rumlow responded.

“Why so steep?” 

“Because it’s SHIELDS.” Rumlow shrugged a shoulder.

Steve sighed. “How many unfriendlies?”

“Twenty-five. All top mercs.” 

Steve sighed. Right. “Hostages?”

“Yeah. Intel puts them in the galley. No head count there though.”

“Alright. Here’s the plan.” Steve said, slipping into Captain mode. “In and out. First priority is the hostages. Rumlow, you and your team find them and secure them. We take out the unfriendlies as we find them.”

Everyone nodded and moved to start getting ready. Steve grabbed Natasha’s arm before she could slip away and pulled her to the side. “Thanks for the help earlier.” He murmured frustratedly.

Natasha quirked an eyebrow. “I thought you could handle it.”

Steve glared at her and Natasha rolled her eyes. “It’s only fair, Rogers. You took MY partner, remember?” 

Steve’s gaze narrowed. “Someone had to keep her safe.” He argued.

Natasha smirked. “And that someone has to be you, huh? Ever occur to you that she’s perfectly capable of defending herself?”

Steve didn’t say anything and Natasha tapped his temple. “You should really use this sometime. Might help you more with the ladies.”

Then she slunk towards the back of the jet and started prepping.

Steve angrily turned to the back of the jet as the ramp door started opening. He stomped towards it and put his focus on the mission. He threw himself out.

\------------------------------------------

Neither Steve nor Natasha were responding. This was bad. You grabbed your emergency bag, the one they drilled into you to always have ready and barricaded yourself in the closet. You pulled out a couple of loaded weapons and flipped off the safeties, attaching them to holsters on your person. Taking a deep sobering breath, you readied yourself for whatever was coming next. 

\------------------------------------------

Rumlow was giving him a weird glance, but Steve was beyond caring at this point. He once again grabbed Nat’s arm and pulled her away from the rest of the team as they loaded the hostages on board.

“We weren’t done with our discussion.” He grit out.

Natasha shook her head and ripped her arm out of his grasp. “You can yell at me more later, Rogers. We have a bigger problem.” The spy reached out and shoved her phone in his face.

Steve took it with shaking fingers as he read the message. ‘Bad feeling. Need backup. SOS.’ Steve’s eyes darted up to the time stamp and his stomach sank. You’d sent that almost three hours ago.

He scrambled for his own phone and saw the same message. He glanced up at Nat, panic burning in his eyes. “We have to go.”

Rumlow glanced up as Steve and Natasha rushed to him. “We gotta get this bird in the air.” Nat said.

Rumlow cracked a grin. “There a fire we don’t know about?” He joked.

Steve and Natasha glared at him and Rumlow cursed. “Alright. Yeah. Hey! Sampson! We gotta go!”

Rumlow’s pilot nodded and in the next second they were airborn. Steve and Natasha wandered up front to ask about how long it would be and Rumlow found a corner, far enough away from the Captains sensitive ears that Steve wouldn’t hear him. Then he dialed Lars.

“What the hell did you not understand? I told you to watch her. Not let her see you coming.”

Lars shrugged a shoulder, though Rumlow couldn’t see him. “I didn’t do nothing, boss. Mighta passed by her door a few times. Bitch never saw me. That I can promise.”

“You better hope she didn’t Lars or it’s your ass on the line.”

Rumlow hung up before Lars could respond but internally he was scheming. He could already tell that you were going to be a problem. Maybe he’d have to let Lars get to you first.


	8. Gaining Insight

The second the jet touched down, Rumlow was grabbing Steve’s shoulder. “Fury wants you for a debrief.” Rumlow said.

Steve shook his head. “I have somewhere I need to be.”

Rumlow shrugged his shoulders. “Director’s orders. You too, Romanov.”

Steve and Nat exchanged desperate looks. “You go. I’ll check on Y/N.” Nat said. Steve was already opening his mouth to argue but she shook her head. “I’ll get in less trouble, Steve. Go. I got this.”

Steve resisted the urge to go anyway. He didn’t like the unknown and every sense in him was screaming that you needed help. Now. Still, his military background fought against the thought of him disobeying direct orders.

“Go.” He finally ordered. “Text me the second you know something.”

Nat took off like a shot as Steve squared his shoulders and mentally prepped himself for the hours of debrief coming his way.

Steve stomped his way into Fury’s office, once again ignoring the knock. “Make this short.” He ordered.

Fury cocked his good eyebrow. “You giving the orders now, Captain?”

Steve’s jaw ticked and Fury gestured for him to sit. “I’ll stand.” Steve said.

“Sit or I’ll make you sit, Rogers.”

Steve stared him down but reluctantly took the seat. “Now, you’ve gotten away with a lot the past few days, Rogers. But we’re on my time now. You’re going to answer all of my questions and then you just may answer all of Hill’s questions and then, if you’re lucky, I’ll let you go. You understand?”

“How about you explain to me why my partner wasn’t on this mission? We needed more boots.”

Fury shook his head. “You had an entire STRIKE team at your disposal. You had plenty of boots.”

Steve scoffed. “Some of those boots had different missions.” He muttered bitterly.

Fury sighed as he eyed the tense way Steve was holding himself. “You didn’t know because you didn’t need to know.”

“I can’t direct a team if they’re under different orders.”

“You got the hostages out.” Fury said.

“We almost didn’t.” Steve argued.

“But you did. So I don’t see what we’re arguing about.” Fury said.

\---------------------------------

Natasha broke more than one traffic law as she shot through the streets on her bike. She didn’t care. She hadn’t lied to Fury when she said that you reminded her of herself and Natasha? She wouldn’t send an SOS unless she meant it.

Natasha abandoned her bike outside your apartment, not noticing the nondescript van that pulled away just as she raced up the steps. She ignored the elevator entirely as she shot up the stairs.

She pulled her copy of your key out of her pocket and within seconds was in your apartment, looking around for signs of a struggle. “Y/N?” She called out.

She heard cursing from the other room and she ran into the bedroom to see you open the closet door and stumble out, armed to the teeth.

“What the hell happened?” Natasha demanded as she reached over and helped you to your feet.

You shook your head and glanced around. “Someone was here.” You said, your brow furrowing.

Natasha glanced around the apartment. “In your apartment?” She asked.

You shook your head. “No . . . no they never came inside. They left just before you got here.”

Nat shook her head, opening the door and looking around outside, she found a couple of cigarette butts and it looked like someone may have been leaning outside the apartment door. She shot off a quick text to Steve ‘Someone was snooping around outside. Everything is fine here. I have it under control.’

Natasha walked back inside, helping you move the furniture you’d used to barricade yourself in the closet back to its rightful places and forcing you to sit on the couch and explain everything that you’d heard, seen and felt.

\------------------------------------------

Fury stepped out into the giant workspace under the Triskellion, Steve trailing behind him. A ding sounded and Steve glanced down at his phone as he stepped off. ‘Someone was snooping around outside. Everything is fine here. I have it under control.’

Somehow that didn’t make Steve feel any better.

Fury cleared his throat and Steve glanced up. A look of awe shot across Steve’s face as he took in the sight. Three helicarriers in various stages of construction were laid out side by side. Every single one of them was armed with weapons big enough to take out entire cities.

“This is Project Insight.” Fury said as he starting pointing out the various spec’s of SHIELD’s latest project. “Once we get ‘em in the air, they’ll never need to come down. Stark helped us with a little arc reactor technology there.”

Steve glanced around, unsettled.

“We’re going to eliminate a lot of threats before they happen.” Fury said, catching Steve’s look.

Steve shook his head. “Thought the punishment usually came after the crime.” He said.

“We can’t afford to wait that long.” Fury said.

“Who’s we?”

“After what happened in New York, you really want to take the chance that we aren’t prepared again?”

“This isn’t protection. This is fear.” Steve argued. He glanced at Fury but could tell he wasn’t going to change his mind. Steve turned to leave.

“And where do you think you’re going?” Fury asked.

“If we’re done here, I have something waiting for me back home I need to take care of.” Steve said shortly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A few shorter chapters, but now we're in the heart of CATWS.
> 
> Hope you've been enjoying it so far!
> 
> We have a lot of great stuff in store for you, so stay tuned!


	9. Flash of Silver

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A flash of silver, one dead, what happens to the other?

You’re sitting in your apartment, curled up in your bed with some tea, still coming down from the adrenaline high of the previous night. You’re listening to the hallway outside your door, hoping Steve will be home soon when you hear Steve’s radio turn on. It’s jazz, Steve rarely listens to jazz. You think for a second and then realize that you never heard Steve’s door open. Grabbing the firearm you keep in your nightstand, you pull yourself out of your apartment window, silently creeping onto the fire escape to take a look through Steve’s window. Something is wrong, you can just feel it. 

Fury is lying on the floor in Steve’s apartment. “That’s weird.” you whisper to yourself, but you can’t imagine that Fury would be there without good reason. Natasha always tells you that you can trust Fury. You think about going inside but hesitate because Fury had to have known that you were home. If he wanted to talk to you he would have come to you, not Steve. You tucked yourself back, hoping he wouldn’t see you and made your way back to your own window. You didn’t make it there though, catching a flash of silver out of the corner of your eye. You turn to look and feel something pierce the skin on your left side. It doesn’t take but a second for your world to turn black. You crumble just outside your apartment window in the fire escape with a soft thud.

\---------------------------

Steve raced up the stairs in his building. He was anxious to check on you despite what Natasha had said.

He ran into his neighbor Kate as he was going to knock. She said hi as he brushed past, nearly knocking over her laundry basket.

He was just about to knock on your door when he heard the soft sounds of jazz coming from his apartment. He hesitated. Maybe you’d let yourself in?

He stepped away from your door and inserted the key into his own. He turned the knob slowly, not wanting to startle you. Though his bruises had healed, his back still smarted from where you’d tossed him to the ground the day before.

“Y/N?” He called into the dark apartment. Something was off. If you’d let yourself in, you would have turned the lights on.

He gripped his shield as he started clearing the rooms one by one. He turned the corner and saw Fury lying there.

“I don’t remember giving you a key.” He said simply, easing his grip on the shield.

“You really think I need one?” Fury asked. “My wife kicked me out.”

Steve was silent for a long second before he answered. “I didn’t know you were married.”

Steve moved to turn the lights on. “I know, Nick. That’s kind of the problem.”

Steve froze as Fury flicked the lights immediately back off and raised a finger to his lips. Fury turned his cellphone around for Steve to see the message he’d typed on it. ‘Ears everywhere.’

Steve tensed.

“I’m sorry to do this, but I had nowhere else to crash.” Fury said, taking the phone back to type something else. ‘SHIELD compromised.’

Steve’s heart started beating overtime. “Who else knows . . . about your wife?”

“Just my friends.” Fury said, pushing himself to his feet. Steve saw the way the blood glinted in the moonlight and realized Fury was injured. Fury turned his phone around again. ‘A few agents I trust with my life.’

“Is that what we are? Friends?” 

“That’s up to you.” Fury said, reaching out a hand and setting it on Steve’s shoulder.

Before Steve could say anything, a flash of silver glinted through the window and three shots fired, striking Fury in the chest.

Steve glanced down at Fury and then back at the window just as he door crashed open. “Captain Rogers?” A familiar voice called out.

Steve lowered his shield as Kate came around the corner. “Kate?” He asked.

“Agent thirteen, actually. I’ve been keeping an eye on you.”

“Under whose orders?” Steve demanded. 

“His.” Agent thirteen said, dropping to her knees by Fury’s side and immediately reaching out to stem the blood flow. Steve glanced at her and the dying man on his floor who he STILL didn’t know if he could trust or not and decided he couldn’t deal with this right now. Instead, he put his whole focus on the flash of silver just outside.

Without waiting for permission, he threw himself out of his window and started chasing the gunman.

He bounded across rooftops, nearly catching up with the man. He threw his shield in a last ditch attempt to stop him and was surprised to find that not only could the man catch his shield, but he threw it back with enough force to shove Steve back several feet. Steve nearly growled as he lost sight of the gunman. Your face flashed before his eyes as he turned and sprinted back towards his apartment. Why hadn’t you come when there were gunshots? His stomach sank as he pushed himself faster, jumping across the roofs of the buildings he’s leapt before. He jumped to the fire escape, and his heart sank as he saw your crumpled form lying on the metal grating. He rushed to your side. You were breathing. Thank God for small favors. 

Steve shouted and agents began pouring through the window. Someone tried to take your prone form from Steve, he shook his head. You were his responsibility. He wasn’t about to leave you now. He shrugged off the STRIKE team as they tried to pull him aside and walked with you tucked against his chest out the door. Natasha was there, she looked from Steve to you and back to Steve and slid into the seat next to him in the waiting ambulance. The doors closed and sirens began to blare as they hooked monitors to your chest. Steve held your hand tightly, afraid of what was coming. 

\------------------------------------------

Steve stayed with you from the ambulance through the emergency room. Whenever someone suggested that he leave, he’d pull rank on them. It wasn’t usual for him to abuse his status, but in this moment he simply didn’t give a damn.

Natasha had glanced at Steve when they’d arrived in the hospital and he’d gestured for her to follow after Fury. She’d taken one last look at you lying unconscious on a gurney before she’d complied.

“She’ll be fine, Captain Rogers.” A doctor was saying. “It’s just a sleeping agent. She just needs to sleep it off.” Steve nodded and glanced at you in the bed as the doctor slipped away. Something wasn’t adding up but he couldn’t put his finger on it. After the SOS last night and now this? He didn’t want to let you out of his sight for a second.

Still, he had other responsibilities. He leaned down and pressed a quick kiss to your forehead before he slipped out of the room to find Nat.

Nat was standing in front of the windowed operating room, watching as the doctors fought to save Fury’s life. Steve moved to stand beside her, neither of them saying anything.

“What happened?” Nat asked after a minute.

Steve felt for the flashdrive in his pocket that Fury had slipped him moments before being shot. For a second he thought about confiding in Nat but then he shook his head as he remembered her betrayal on the Leumurian Star. “I don’t know.” Steve said, sliding his hand out of his pocket to cross his arms.

“He’s in V-tach!” Someone in the room called. 

Steve and Nat tensed as Fury started crashing.

“Don’t do this to me, Nick.” Natasha whispered.

The doctors fought, but in the end, there was nothing they could do. One of the doctors turned to the window and shook his head as another called time of death.

Natasha bit back a sob and rushed out of the room. Steve took one last look at the man who’d been there from the beginning, but couldn’t be there now and turned and followed the spy out of the room.

“Why was Fury in your apartment?” Natasha demanded as soon as he stepped out. 

“I don’t know.” Steve repeated.

Nat glared at him and Steve knew she didn’t believe him. He didn’t care. He turned to walk back to your room. A hand on his shoulder stopped him.

Steve turned to find Rumlow watching him with an odd expression on his face. “They want you back at headquarters.” He said.

“Yeah. Alright.”

Steve turned to glance at Nat.

“Now.” Rumlow interrupted.

Steve glared. “Alright. Got it.” He bit out.

Rumlow nodded and turned around to head back to the rest of the STRIKE team. Steve turned to Nat. “Watch her. Someone’s after her. Until we know who, she doesn’t leave our sight.”

Natasha was still angry, but she kept it inside. Steve was right. They needed to protect you. She nodded shortly and headed towards your room leaving Steve to deal with the STRIKE team and Pierce on his own. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for sticking with us! Your comments, kudos and bookmarks make our day!


	10. Trust Issues

Natasha saw something that didn’t belong in the vending machine. It looked like a SHIELD thumb drive. What was Steve hiding? How were you involved? Rummaging through a small pouch on her side, she pulled out six quarters and watched as the gum and then the thumb drive fell to the collection bin. She pockets the silver drive and then returned to your room. She settled in the chair, popping her gum. 

Your eyes slowly opened, taking in the harsh light of the too-white room and the beeping of the monitor. You heard a popping sound and looked over to see Natasha popping gum with a smug smile on her face.

You squint at her. “What happened?” You asked.

She shrugged a shoulder and glanced around the room, though you noticed she kept an eye on you at the same time. “I don’t know. How about you tell me?”

You struggled to sit up in bed and rub your head as you try to remember what had happened. You can’t help but notice that Steve’s not here. You glance at Natasha and try to decide if you dare ask about it or not. In the end, your curiosity wins out. “Where’s Steve?”

Natasha turned her sharp eyes to you and you felt like she was seeing into your soul. “He had to take care of something.” 

The way she said it made you feel like you were somehow in the middle of whatever he was taking care of. 

The two of you sat in a drawn out silence for a long minute. You had the sinking feeling that Natasha was playing judge and jury and whatever she decided in the end, would determine your fate. You did your best to be an open book despite your confusion about the situation. Finally, Nat nodded.

“Okay.” She said.

“Okay? You wanna share with the class?” You drawled.

Nat shrugged a shoulder and glanced towards the door, making sure it was closed before she leaned towards you. “Bye, bye bikini.” She said.

You blinked. “Uh.” 

Nat looked at you and smirked. “Bye. Bye. Bikini.”

Realization hit you like a tractor axle falling out of the back of a pickup. “Him? What about him?”

“He murdered Fury.”

“Wait, Fury’s dead?” Your eyes opened wide, you couldn’t believe what you were hearing. Fury couldn’t be dead. Everyone knew the man was immortal. You ripped the IV out of your hand, and stood up, not caring about the blood dripping out of your hand with a steady drip...drip... drip...

Natasha jumped to her feet to help steady you as you started swaying. “Easy there, greenie. He got you too.”

You glanced at her. “How am I not dead?” You demanded seriously.

Natasha shrugged a shoulder. “You got the dart gun. Fury got the bullet.”

“What was he after?” You asked, pushing out of her grasp as you steadied yourself.

Natasha slipped a hand in her pocket and pulled out a shiny thumb drive. “Whatever’s on this is worth killing for.” She said. “We need to figure it out.”

“What about Steve?” You asked.

“Don’t worry, we’ll find loverboy later. He’d just slow us down anyway.”

You glanced out the window of your room and down the hall. “Looks like you might not have much of a choice.” You gestured towards the less-than-subtle “disguised” Steve who was stomping down the hallway.

Natasha rolled her eyes.

Steve glanced at the vending machine with murder in his eyes as he stormed into the room, not noticing you at all. He shoved Natasha up against a wall. “Where is it?”

You grip the thumbdrive, not noticing when Nat pushed it into your hand. With strength your didn’t know you had, you gripped Steve’s shoulder and spun him around. “It’s right here you brute, before you go stompin’ around like a bull in a damn china closet, why don’t you simmer for a second and realize we’re all playin’ on the same goddamn team here.”

The murder in Steve’s eyes faded slightly as he took in your pale face. “You’re okay.” He breathed.

“Damn straight. It takes more than that to knock me off my feet. Now are we going to talk about all this like rational adults, or are we going to keep pointing the finger?”

Steve sighed. “SHIELD’s compromised.” He whispered, glancing at you and Natasha. Whatever the spy was thinking in that moment, you couldn’t tell. She appeared just as stoic as always. You, on the other hand, let loose a string of swears your mama would have tanned your hide for.

“Where’d you put the flashdrive?” Steve asked, turning back to Natasha, his ears pink.

“It’s safe.” She said. She glanced at you for a fraction of a second and you slipped the drive into your bra before Steve could see.

“Then we need to go.” Steve said. “Rumlow’s team is already on their way.”

You shook your head. “Maybe we should split up, draw them in different directions.”

Steve had a physical reaction to your words as he took a step closer to you and stretched out a hand to grab you before he caught himself. “No. We should stick together. Safety in numbers.”

You and Natasha glanced at each other pointedly but the tense way Steve was holding himself made it clear this wasn’t up for negotiation.

“The mall, you’re right Steve, safety in numbers, we can blend in and hide out.” Natasha said.

“The Washington Mall? The big open stretch of grass?” Steve gaped.

“No you adorable idiot, the shopping mall.” you tried to stifle a laugh.

Steve took another look at your pale face and wished he could leave you here but for now, the safest place was by his side. “Alright, let’s go.”

\-----------------------------------

The three of you kept your heads bent low as you wandered through the crowds of people. Natasha had stolen you all sunglasses and hats before you’d slipped out of the hospital unnoticed. Neither you nor Steve had bothered to ask where she’d found them.

“Where are we going, again?” Steve asked, glancing around like the paranoid fossil he was.

“Apple store.” Natasha responded. “We need to see what’s on the drive.”

The glowing white apple stood out in front of you and the three of you made a bee-line towards it.

“Flash drive.” Natasha said, holding out a hand.

You turned towards the computers, giving yourself a little privacy as you dug your hand down the front of your shirt. Steve choked behind you and spun around, glancing at anything else.

“That’s your safe place?!” He hissed at Natasha.

“Only two people would have looked for it there, Steve and they’re standing next to me.” 

Steve choked again while you tried not to laugh. You handed the drive to Natasha. “How long will we have?” You asked.

She prepared to insert the drive into the computer. Ninety seconds starting . . . now.” She slid the drive home and started hacking.

You pulled Steve behind her, hiding her from any wandering eyes.

Out of the corner of your eye, you saw a man in a blue shirt start wandering your way. You reached back and tapped on Nat’s thigh. “Distract him.” She hummed under her breath.

You pressed your lips together and pulled Steve’s hands around your waist. “Come here, soldier.” You commanded softly, drawing him closer and pressing your lips to his.

“Oh. Sorry! Didn’t mean to interrupt.” A voice came from behind Steve. Steve broke away from you immediately and you turned to see the overly-helpful employee standing there.

“Oh. No, that’s okay. We just got caught up in the moment.” You giggled.

“What moment?” The employee asked.

You pressed your face against Steve’s chest. “He just asked me to marry him.”

Steve’s arm was tense as he threw it around your shoulders and brought you close. “Ha. Yeah. We’re getting married.” 

Had his voice just cracked?

You smiled anyway and glanced back at the employee. “We were just talking about where we should spend our honeymoon.”

The man nodded thoughtfully. “Any ideas in mind?” 

The two of you glanced back at the computer Natasha was still working on. “New Jersey.” Steve’s voice trailed off awkwardly.

“New Jersey is . . . nice.” The man said. You grimaced and elbowed Steve as subtly as possible. He probably hadn’t felt it but it was nice of him to flinch anyway.

The man glanced between the two of you and his smile seemed just a touch more forced than before. “Right. Well, if you need anymore help, I’ve been Aaron.”

“Thank you!” You said, smiling bright. As soon as he was out of earshot you and Natasha rounded on Steve in unison.

“That the best you got, Rogers?” You asked.

Nat scoffed. “Best acting I’ve seen from him so far.” She said. 

Steve rolled his eyes and Natasha showed him a spot on the screen. “Recognize this?”

“I used to.” Steve said angrily.

“I hate to break up the love fest here, but we’re about to be made.” You said.

You all three headed out of the store, flash drive in hand, and your eyes automatically scanned for the familiar faces of the STRIKE team. “We have one at our 3 o’clock, and two above us on the third and fouth floors”

“Quick, lean in and laugh like something I said was funny.” Natasha rushes. Steve leans in and you duck your head like you’re listening intently.

Natasha led you on a path that seemed to make sense in her head. You didn’t question it as you followed after her. The three of you got on an escalator heading down towards the car park. Your eyes widened at the same time as Nat’s did as you saw Rumlow heading towards you.

Natasha spun to Steve. “Quick. Kiss me.” She demanded.

His eyes slipped to yours betraying. “What?” He stuttered.

“Public displays of affection make people very uncomfortable.” Nat explained quickly.

“Yes. They do.” Steve agreed.

Natasaha took matters into her own hands as she reached up and pulled his face towards hers. You felt the smallest pang of burning jealousy in your gut. You wanted to hate Natasha but you’d been trained too damn well. Didn’t mean you weren’t going to give Steve hell for it later though.

You watched discreetly as Rumlow eye’s bounced right over the ‘happy couple’ and continued glancing around.

“He’s gone.” You said a little louder than you needed to.

Steve pulled away instantly. “Uh . . . Y/N.” He started.

“Don’t start.” You ordered, already marching away.

Steve’s shoulders slumped but he followed after you, giving Natasha a glare as she smirked at him.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all of your support with this story! We appreciate all of your kudos and comments and bookmarks! More to come soon!


	11. History Class

Sitting in the middle of the bench seat, you’re still trying not to stew in jealousy when Natasha asks “So where’d Captain America learn to hotwire a car?”

“Nazi Germany” Steve said curtly, still not quite over what happened in the mall. 

“I read about that in history class.” You sassed, then giggled. 

“How long ago did you graduate?” Natasha asked, conversationally.

“About ten years ago. Why?”

“Just wondering. Hey Steve, was that your first kiss since 1946?”

“That bad huh?”

You shrugged a shoulder. Natasha hesitated. Steve sighed.

“No, it wasn’t.” He admitted.

You and Natasha both turned to look at him and in your best impression of ‘Gone with the Wind’ you said; “Why Mr. Rogers, I do declare.”

Steve blushed and his grip on the wheel tightened. “Do we need to talk about this right now?” He asked painfully.

You glanced back out the window, your jealousy forgotten. “Well, no. But I feel like we should. Especially considering you kissed someone other than me.”

Natasha stifled a laugh next to you while Steve groaned. “It wasn’t like that, and you know it.”

“Do I? Do I?! Don’t seem to recall you telling me where we stood before I got shot by Binky.”

“Binky?” Steve questioned.

“The Winter Soldier. Don’t change the subject.” Natasha said.

“I...I… Y/N, You have to know that I care about you. “ Steve stuttered.

“I don’t know. I haven’t seen any flowers or chocolates yet. Surely they had that gesture in your time.”

“I...I… Oh look, we’re here.”

“Convenient.” You said, popping the T at the end. 

Steve didn’t bother answering as he stepped out of the car and headed towards the gates. His eyes traced the familiar letters on the sign just outside. 

“You know this place?” You asked. 

“Yeah. I came from here.” He said. He didn’t say anything else. He just walked up to the gates. With one swing of his shield, the lock fell away and Steve shoved the gates open.

“See anything off?” You asked softly.

“Army regulations forbid storing ammunition within five hundred yards of the barracks. This building is in the wrong place”

“Maybe if you spent more time studying me instead of the regulations maybe our first kiss wouldn’t have been in a mall”

Steve blushes and walks towards the building.

____________

Everyone marches silently into the building. Steve is caught by a photo on the wall. He pauses and Natasha asks “Who’s the girl?”

Steve’s jaw tenses and he walks away. You can’t help but reach out for him. “Steve?”

He shakes his head and keeps moving deeper into the room. 

You froze and couldn’t help but feel like a tiny piece of your heart cracked at the rejection. But you glanced around the room again and realized it wasn’t the time. You slid a mask over your features and followed after Steve as he started examining one of the bookshelves in the room.

Steve pries open the bookcases after a short discussion and reveals a very modern looking elevator. “If you already have a secret headquarters, why do you need a secret elevator?” He asked.

You took the elevator down, thinking ‘This is a bad idea. This is how you die in a horror movie. It’s like walking behind a feral horse.’

The elevator doors open and all you see is darkness illuminated by a sickly green fluorescent light. As you walk forward the rest of the room lights up. Sitting in front of you is what looks like a very old computer server bank. With a very modern USB bank on the desk in front of it. 

Natasha walked forward and plugged the silver USB in. “Wanna play a game?” She smirked. She turned to Steve. “It’s from a movie . . .”

“Yeah. I’ve seen it.” Steve cut her off. 

You and Natasha exchanged worried glances. Something was off with Steve.

Your attention was drawn back to the computers as one of them flickered and an eerie face peered back at you through lines of code. “Rogers, Steven. Born 1918. Romanov, Natalia. Born 1984. Y/L, Y/N. Born 1993.”

“It’s some kind of recording.” Natasha murmured.

“I’m not a recording, fraulein. I may not be the man I was when the Captain captured me in 1945. But I AM.”

Natasha glanced at Steve and gestured at the screen. “You know this thing?”

Steve walked towards the front of the computer, looking for an off switch while doing his best to ignore the image of one of his former foes. “Armin Zola. He was a German scientist who worked for Red Skull. He’s been dead for years.”

“Incorrect. I’m Swiss. Furthermore, look around you Captain. I’ve never been more alive.”

Lights flickered on and the rest of the room was illuminated, showing the hundreds of harddrives spinning away. You took a step closer to Steve and Natasha as a bad feeling flooded your veins.

“What are you doing here?” Steve demanded, coming around to face the computer screen once again. 

“I’m here to do what I always intended on doing, Captain. I’m here to help HYDRA grow and flourish. From the ashes of SHIELD, HYDRA shall rise. That was always the end goal.”

“No.” Natasha said firmly. “SHIELD would have stopped you.”

“It’s hard to stop what you don’t understand. True, a few have stumbled upon the secrets before they were ready to be revealed. But accidents do happen.”

Images of all the lives lost in the HYDRA’s madness flickered across the screen. Fury’s face, brightly stamped with the word ‘deceased’ flickered across the screen and you couldn’t help but gasp.

“What’s on the drive?” You demanded.

“The answer to your question is fascinating. Unfortunately you’ll be too dead to hear it.” 

The three of you spun around as you heard the elevator doors start sliding shut. Steve flung his shield forward, trying to jam them open while Natasha scrambled for her phone.

“We got a bogey incoming.” She murmured.

“Who fired it?!” Steve demanded.

Natasha glanced up. “SHIELD.”

The computer cackled. “I’m afraid I’ve been stalling Captain. But admit it, it’s better this way. We are both of us . . . out of time.”

Steve glanced around the room, but there was nothing he could do. No angle he could play. If this was the last minute he had on earth, he had something he wanted to do with it. He took two large strides in your direction, wrapped an arm around your waist and dipped you low. Before you could ask him what he thought he was doing, his lips were on yours, devouring you with a passion you didn’t think he was capable of.

When he spun you back up and out of his arms you couldn’t help but blush as you whispered; “Wow, I didn’t know it did that.”

Steve smirked for a second before the sound the incoming ballistic reached his ears. He grabbed your hand and tugged you to Natasha. He wrapped his arms over the both of you and threw his shield up just as the missile detonated.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all of your support! I know... that was one illegal cliff hanger.. but we won't keep you waiting for too long! We love your feedback let us know what you think!


	12. Everyone's Trying to Kill Us

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone's trying to kill us... Not everyone.

The rubble crumbled on top of the trio and as hard as you tried, you just couldn’t stay awake. The darkness overtook you, and you hoped you’d see Steve’s eyes if you came to. Steve’s shield took the worst of the impact, but your leg was still caught under a large piece of rock. Steve called your name, coughing in the dust as he did his best to unbury you and Natasha. He could hear the helicopters closing in overhead as he finally got the two of you free. He winced as he slung both of you over a shoulder, hoping you’d make it. He didn’t have time to check though as he watched bodies dropping out of the helicopters to start searching the rubble. Instead he took off running for the woods, doing his best to stay low.

Your eyes begin to open as you feel your leg jostling. You begin to categorically check yourself, just as you’d been trained to do. You have a headache, probably a concussion, nothing that will kill you, you hope. Everything else, although sore, seems alright, nothing is broken outright. You open your eyes and see Natasha; it seems like she took the worst of the hit. She’s still out cold. A nasty looking cut above her eye. Steve slows down, and you tap his shoulder, alerting him to your wakefulness. “Put me down Steve, we’ll move faster if you aren’t carrying me.”

Steve groans as he sets you on the ground, spotting a car in the distance. You make it without being noticed, and Steve sets about hotwiring the car as you check Natasha over. Her eyes open and she groans. “I’m not taking credit for that one, that one’s not on me.”

Soon, you’re in the car. “Where are we headed, Steve?” You wonder where you could be going that they won’t be trying to kill you. 

“A friend’s place.”

_________________________

Steve leads you to an inconspicuous looking neighborhood and parks his car in front of a house. You pull yourself out of the car and try not to groan. A small sound escapes your lips anyway and Steve’s gaze shoots to you. You shake your head and gesture towards Natasha. Steve sighs but helps the spy up to his friend’s door anyway.

Steve knocks on the door as you glance around the street nervously. It doesn’t take long for a man to answer the door. He glances at the three of you. 

“I’m sorry to do this to you.” Steve starts. “But we need a place to lay low.”

“Everyone’s trying to kill us.” Nat says helpfully.

The man glances at you and you nod. “Not everyone.” He says, opening his door up wider. 

The three of you slip into the house and Sam shuts the door behind you. He shuts the blinds and guides you deeper into the house. 

Sam glances at you all. “You look like you could all use a shower.” He said, not unkindly.

You nodded. “Yeah. Please. Where can I find it?”

Sam gestures down the hall and you start moving in that direction. “Where do you think you’re going?” Steve asks abruptly.

You glance over your shoulder and exchange a confused glance with Sam. “Uh . . . to take a shower?”

“Not by yourself.” Steve says firmly.

Natasha sighs and pulls herself out of Steve’s grasp. “Now’s not the time to fondue with your girlfriend, Steve.” She says. “Come on greenie. I’ll clean you up.”

Natasha slings her arm around your shoulder and leans on you a little more than normal as she guides you away from Sam and Steve’s bright red face.

Natasha leads you towards the showers, “I think you got a little more than you bargained for there, y/n, how are you holding up?”

You look at her as you begin to strip out of your dusty and bloody clothing. “You know, I joined SHIELD because I thought I’d be saving the world, instead, it looks like I was helping the same people who want to destroy it. Maybe my father was right, maybe I do just have my head full of dreams.”

Nat turned on the shower, and steam began to fill the room. You stepped in and you both began to try and wash off the dirt and dust that had accumulated in your hair and on your skin. “You know, y/n,” Nat said softly “I wanted to quit. To get out, leave it all behind and pretend that I could be normal. Then I met you, and I saw something. You’re stronger than anyone gives you credit for. You’ve got to keep it up for a little longer kid, Steve needs us both.”

You chuckled to yourself. “Steve doesn’t seem like he needs anybody.” You pointed out, still thinking about how he’d pulled away from you earlier at the base. 

Natasha shook her head. “People like him? People like me? We’ve learned how to hide ourselves away. To not need anyone. But everyone needs someone sometimes. I think you could be good for him. And he could be good for you too.”

You paused to think about it for a minute. Steve drove you up the wall, but when you were in your apartment thinking that someone was coming for you, Steve was the first person you’d wanted to come help you. Maybe there was some truth to what Natasha was saying. You just needed to be brave enough to take it for a spin. Of course, bravery had never been something you’d considered yourself to be lacking . . . 

You nodded to Natasha to show that you had heard and the two of you continued to dress in silence. When you were done, you slipped out into the hallway. Steve was just coming out of another room, his hair was wet and dripping onto his tank top. You licked your lips.

Natasha glanced between the two of you in clear amusement. “I’ll go see if I can’t help our host out. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.” 

Steve grabbed your hand as she sashayed away and pulled you back into the room he’d just come out of. He sat you on the edge of the bed and went into the bathroom before he came out with a small box in his hands. He leaned towards you and you leaned towards him, your eyes on his lips.

“We’re going to need to stitch this up.” He said.

You pulled away abruptly. “Oh.” You said softly.

He dug through the first aid box and started pulling out suture supplies. “This is going to hurt, doll. Sorry about that.” He said. 

You shrugged a shoulder. “Won’t be the first time.” You murmured.

He sent a glare at you that you didn’t understand. “We’ll be talking about that later.” He practically growled.

Oh. You rolled your eyes. “Can’t stop me from every little boo-boo.” You warned him. “You’re not Superman.”

Steve sighed. “Can’t stop me from tryin’, sweetheart.”

The two of you fell into a comfortable silence as Steve stitched the cut above your eye back up. You focused on a spot just over his shoulder and forced yourself to think about anything else to ignore the pain.

“Tell me about your childhood.” You said abruptly. 

Steve was silent for a minute as he thought. Then; “Not much to talk about. I grew up in the great depression. I think they mention that in some of the history books you liked so much.”

You smiled at the gentle dig but refused to let up. “No. Come on. There’s gotta be somethin’ you can tell me.”

Steve chuckled. “I guess the best part of it was Bucky. He was my best friend. Greatest pal a guy could have.” You heard something catch in Steve’s throat and for a minute, you felt a sense of love permeate the room. It disappeared so quickly, you weren’t sure you hadn’t just imagined it.

“Yeah? You spend a lot of time together?”

Steve chuckled. “Try all our time. We were almost inseparable which was good for me. I had a tendency to bite off a little more than I could chew at times.”

You smiled. “Seems like that’s one thing that didn’t change when you got the muscles.”

Steve smiled fondly. “I don’t know what you’re talking about doll, I’m nothing if not safe. I follow protocols.”

Steve finished your stitches and leaned away. You shook your head with a wry grin. “Oh? So it was protocol to kiss me senseless in a military grade facility?”

Steve sputters for a second “What? I can’t kiss my best girl?”

“Anytime you’d like hon, but how about less when we’re going to die?”

Steve gets quiet. “I didn’t want to miss my chance. I already missed it once before.” You could feel the sadness in the room, it felt like you were drowning in something sticky. You reached out and put a hand on Steve’s arm, pulling him into you as you hugged him gently. A throat clearing startled you both as you looked up and saw Sam in the doorway.

“Breakfast is ready, if you guys do that sort of thing.”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the support for this story, we love reading all of your comments! Let us know what you think! More coming soon!


	13. New Insight

The four of you had discussed your next move over breakfast. You were running short on time and options. Besides the four of you, you didn’t know who you could trust. Nat and Steve had realized that the best bet was to kidnap one of the higher ranking SHIELD officials to see what you all could find out. You had reluctantly agreed which was how you found yourself sitting at a table just outside a cafe with Sam. The two of you were exchanging loving glances every now and again although you could almost sense Steve’s anger everytime that happened.

You and Sam glanced at the Senator who was hugging Jasper Sitwell. You turned to Sam. “Go time.” You murmured, taking a sip of your drink.

Sam pulled out his phone and made the call. “Agent Sitwell? How was lunch. I hear the crab cakes are delicious.” 

“Who is this?” You heard over the receiver.

“The good looking guy in the sunglasses at your ten o’clock.” Sitwell spun in the opposite direction and you and Sam shared an eye roll. “Your other ten o’clock. There you go.” Sam waved.

“What do you want?” 

“You’re going to go around the corner. There’s a grey car on your right. You’re going to take it.”

“And why would I do that?” Sitwell spit.

“Because the tie looks really expensive and I’d hate to mess it up.” You discreetly pointed a laser pointer in Sitwell’s direction. The man glanced down at the red dot on his chest and tensed. He hung up the phone and practically ran in the direction he’d been ordered to.

Sam slipped his phone in his pocket and stretched his arms over his head. “Well that went well.” He chuckled.

You laughed as you pushed to your feet to. You slipped the laser pointer into your pocket and took Sam’s hand as you continued the “happy couple” routine. You followed after the fleeing man. “I’d say so. We got the guy.” 

“I got the girl.” Sam sing-songed.

You rolled your eyes just as the two of you rounded the corner. You nearly bumped right into a firm chest. 

You glanced up at Steve whose jaw was ticking as he looked at your joined hands. “Let’s go.” He ordered.

You and Sam glanced at each other and followed Steve into the waiting car.

Natasha had already slipped into traffic in the car with Sitwell. You climbed into the backseat of Sam’s car as he pulled into traffic and started following her. The silence in the car was tense, almost deafening and you were glad when you finally reached your destination. Steve was already climbing out of the car when he turned back. “You stay on the ground.” He ordered, looking at you.

“But I . . .” 

“That’s an order.” Steve growled.

Sam climbed out of the car and opened the trunk, slipping his wings on. You glared at Steve’s retreating back as he pulled Sitwell out of Nat’s car and pulled him towards the building. 

“One of these days I’m gonna really make him regret those words.” You mumbled darkly. Sam glanced at you and wisely decided to stay out of this one.

You leaned against the car and stared up at the roof of the building, waiting for Sam’s cue.

You waited for a moment and you saw Sitwell’s form projected from the building and Sam shot up to catch him, landing gracefully on the roof. You continued to sit, feeling the tension on the roof, and then suddenly a wave of fear and anger took you to your knees. It was just too much, and you felt yourself hit the sidewalk just before your world went black. 

Steve hears the thud, but can’t take his eyes off of Sitwell, he knows that one wrong move and they could lose all of the leads they just gained. They haul the man down the stairs, and upon seeing you slumped over on the ground, Steve shoves Sitwell to Natasha and rushes over. He cradles you against his chest, listening to the soft sounds of your breathing and your slow heartbeat. 

Your eyes open as you feel waves of worry followed by waves of calm. You look up into Steve’s eyes and ask “What in God’s name happened?”

“I was hoping you could tell me.”

“I...I don’t know”

Natasha cleared her throat. “Lovebirds, I get it you love each other, but if she’s alright, we’ve got to get moving.”

___________________

You found yourself settled on Steve’s lap in the front seat of the car. Steve kept glancing at you worriedly though you kept your eyes firmly focused out the windshield. Something wasn’t right. You just didn’t know what it was and you didn’t have time to figure it out.

Sam driving, and Natasha was in the backseat with Sitwell. You were all talking about HYDRA when Sitwell made a comment about loose ends. “Then why don’t you shut it.” You quip.

“Insight launches in 16 hours, we don’t have much time.” Nat adds.

“I know,” Steve says solemnly, the mask you’ve noticed he puts on when he’s on a mission seems to slide into place. “We’ll use him to bypass the DNA sensors and access the hellicarriers directly.”

You were trying to focus on what Steve was saying, but a feeling of murderous intent suddenly surrounded you and seemed to be growing stronger. More importantly, it seemed like it was directed right at your car. “Steve!” You called out instinctively.

Before he could respond, a hand shot through the back window and Sitwell was pulled out into oncoming traffic. “Bye Bye Bikini?” You holler to Nat as she leaps into the front seat, firing off several rounds and pulling you and Steve forward. She doesn’t have time to respond, Steve pulls the emergency brake, stopping the car abruptly and throwing the man off of their car. You search for a weapon, hoping you still had one on you. Suddenly, you’re thrown forward into the dash as a large SUV rear ends the car and pushes you forward. A silver hand punches through the windshield and rips the steering wheel out of the console. Your head begins to hurt, you can’t quite place the number of emotions you’re feeling, it's as if you’re drowning in them. You find yourself, Steve and Natasha being thrown out of the car. You roll out of the car on one of the car doors, Steve’s arm wrapped around you as he attempts to protect you with his shield. You hear more gunshots, and attempting to stay low, you look for the source. That’s when you see him again, that same silver arm that you just knew would haunt your nightmares. 

You pushed yourself to your feet, staggering as another wave of emotions hits you like a freight train. Steve wraps an arm around your waist just as the Winter Soldier raised a grenade launcher to his shoulder and fired it at you.

The last thing you remember before your back hit something hard, was Steve yelling your name as you were both thrown off the overpass.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let us know what you think! More coming soon!!


	14. See You On The Other Side

Your eyes fluttered as you distantly heard your name being called. You glanced around you, trying to place your surroundings before you glanced up to see armed gunmen jump from the overpass and rappel down to the ground. Before you had a chance to scramble for cover, the sound of glass shattering echoed behind you and suddenly, Steve was crouched in front of you, shield held in front of you as the sound of gunfire filled the streets.

“Can you move?!” He shouted.

Everything felt bruised as you nodded your head and slowly pulled your feet underneath you. 

“We’re going to have to run.” Steve warned, glancing at you with concern in his eyes. He wished he hadn’t dragged you into the middle of this, but it was too late to turn back now.

You squared your shoulders and set your jaw and nodded once. Steve counted down from three and then he took off running. You clung to the back of his jacket as you kept behind him, tucking your head into the leather for a brief moment as waves of emotion seemed to cloud your vision. 

Steve spotted the man with the silver arm, The Winter Soldier, and shoved you behind a car. Your head began to pound, and you saw him shoot at Romanov, a bullet piercing her shoulder

Before you knew it, you were face to face with the Winter Soldier and now you realized, you were going to see the end. You wished you’d had more of a chance to get to tell Steve how you felt about him. Thoughts raced through your mind and you began to panic. You heard the blast and then felt a searing pain shoot through your side. The pain was nearly too much, but somehow you managed to retain at least a little consciousness. Blood began to pool around you, sticky and metallic smelling. 

Steve heard two sharp yells, one Natasha’s and one yours, and he leapt for the man in the mask, blind rage clouding his judgement. At some point, Natasha made her way over to you. Pressing hard against your stomach, attempting to staunch the flow of blood. It didn’t seem to be doing any good. 

Then the mask came off. Steve froze. 

“Bucky?”

\----------------------------

Shoved inside a van, Steve, Sam, and Natasha watch as you are thrown into the bottom of the van like garbage. Crumpled and bleeding out, and there was nothing that Steve could do about it. Nothing at all.

Steve pushed to his feet, hands handcuffed in front of him, ready to throw down with Rumlow despite it all. Rumlow threw him a sadistic grin as the two guards in the front of the van aimed their weapons at your unconscious form. “One wrong move, Captain . . .” Rumlow sing-songed.

Steve hesitated before he sat back down. His mind was still reeling with the revelation that Bucky, James Buchanan Barnes, his BEST friend, was the Winter Soldier. Steve didn’t know what to do with that information, but he knew he needed to take care of you now. 

Rumlow slammed the doors shut and the van merged back into the flow of traffic.

Sam glanced at the guards and then at your still form. “She’s going to bleed out.” He warned. You were turning an alarming shade of grey.

“Shut up.” The guard ordered.

Sam bit his lip and sighed in frustration. Suddenly, the other guard shoved the cattle prod they were armed with into the other guard, quickly incapacitating them. Pulling off their helmet, she revealed herself to be Maria Hill, and she began uncuffing the others. Steve rushed to pick you up bridal style, and you were rushed to another waiting SUV. Steve cradled you in his lap, softly murmuring to you. “Hold on, you have to hold on, Doll.”

Steve heard your heartbeat slowing. Beat...Beat..Beat...Beat…..Beat……..Beat………...Beat.

They slowed to a stop, and Steve was already out of the car with you, covered in blood. He rushed you inside and Maria began yelling to the medical team in the hallway of the bunker. Natasha provided them with your blood type. They didn’t have any on hand. Steve looked up, I’m O-, give her mine. The medical team quickly set up a field transfusion, a needle and tubing provided Steve’s blood directly to your body. Damn the consequences. 

The medical team sutured the wound, cauterizing it and repairing it the best they could. Steve cradled you in his arms, whispering to you, “You can’t leave me, Doll. I know I’m bad at showing it, but I don’t know what I’d do without you. With you, I feel more alive than I ever have. So come on, open those eyes. Please.” tears rolled down Steve’s cheeks. Natasha slipped in the room, wisely ignoring the scene. 

“Rogers, briefing. 5 minutes. You can bring her with you.”

Steve nodded, gathering you in his arms as he followed her, carrying you cradled to his chest. 

\----------------------------------------------

Your eyes fluttered open as the sound of Fury’s voice droning on surrounding you. Only . . . he was dead. Did that mean you were dead too? Damn, you hoped not. If this was death, it sucked.

You glanced up to see that you were cradled protectively in Steve’s arms. You changed your mind. If this was death, it wasn’t so bad. You shifted in his arms slightly and every pair of eyes shifted to face you. A few gave you small smiles that you tried to return. Everything hurt, so it probably came out as a grimace instead.

“We have to replace all three of them at the same time. If even one of those birds gets up in the air, we’ve lost.” Maria was saying.

The rest of the team turned back to the task at hand but you frowned. You felt . . . different. 

You glanced down at your stomach and slowly lifted your shirt. The fabric was bloodstained and there was a hole in the middle where you distinctly remembered getting shot, but when you lifted up the hem, there was nothing but a faint pink circle where the hole ought to have been. Panic filled you at the unnatural sight. What the hell had happened while you had been out of it?

No one seemed to notice your panic building as they continued discussing the plan. You hardly paid attention until Steve spoke up, the rumble of his voice a soothing feeling against your skin.

“No, Fury. All of it. HYDRA, SHIELD, it all goes. Nothing left.”

Fury looked taken aback by Steve’s hardened tone, but the rest of the room looked back at Steve and nodded. “Well, looks like you’re giving the orders now, Captain.”

With that, everyone in the room dispersed. Steve carried you into the hallway, settling you just outside the door to the room he was changing in. Maria followed out into the hallway, kneeling down beside you to ask you how you were feeling. Even her soft voice sounded like shouting to your overly-sensitive ears. “Why is everything so loud?” 

She lowered her voice again. “You shouldn’t be awake yet.”

You showed her the newly healed over bullet wound. “There’s a lot of things that shouldn’t be happening.”

She tried to hide her surprise. You stood up and Steve stepped back into the hallway, wearing a version of his old uniform. “There’s my star-spangled knight in shining armor.” You smiled. He took you in, surprised that you were standing. You showed him your healed wound. “Apparently I’ve gained a couple new tricks.”

“You’ve always had tricks, my southern belle.”

You stepped towards him carefully and touched his chest. You ran your hand up and around until it was pressed against the back of his neck. You pulled his head down and pressed your lips gently to his. “Call me that again and I will kill you in your sleep.” You murmured against his lips.

Steve somehow managed to look both dazed and amused as you pulled away from him. “Come on. Time to go.” Maria said.

“Ok, I guess I need to find a suit then.”

“You’re not going.”

“Steve, I’m not a damsel in distress. If those carriers go up, it’s not going to matter where I am. I’m going to be dead.”

“She’s right, Steve. This is all hands on deck. You’re going to need her.” Maria nods solemnly.

Steve looked like he was ready to shoot Maria where she stood. You shook your head. “You can’t stop me, Steve. Don’t even try.” You take in Steve’s tense stance and you feel a wave of love wash through you. You sigh and step towards him, kissing him lightly on the cheek. “See you on the other side.” You murmur before you turn and follow Maria out of the room.

Steve watched you go with no small amount of trepidation. Sam stepped up behind him. “You know . . . we might not make it back from this one.” He said.

“I know.” Steve said shortly.

Sam hesitated. “If you have something to say to her, now’s the time to do it. You might not get another chance.”

Steve glanced at Sam and nodded shortly, showing that he understood. Sam sighed and left the room to prep his own gear hoping that Steve would be able to get his head out of his ass before it was too late.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for sticking with us! There is more to come! As always we love reading your comments!


	15. Insight

After everyone leaves the bunker, you reach your hand out to Steve and pull him in for a soft kiss before you head outside to the waiting SUV. Steve kisses you back, but as he pulls away, you see the same focused stare you’ve noticed he uses when you’re getting ready for missions. “Steve,” you whisper “If we don’t make it out of this..” Your voice trails off, and Steve nods, stepping out of the bunker and into the sunlight. 

You follow, wondering where his head is at, but shaking it off. It’s time for the mission. That’s what’s important right now. You slide into the SUV, ending up in Steve’s lap again. This time it doesn’t feel like a tender moment, this time you wonder if either of you will survive the day. 

The ride to the Triskellion is quiet. Everyone had their game face on, trying to keep their cool. “You know he’ll be there right?” Natasha says softly, breaking the tense silence.

“I know.” Steve acknowledges. 

“We’ll do what we have to do.”

The towering building comes into view, and the conversation ceases again. Making your way into the control room was far easier than you thought. Maria and you taking your seats at the controls. Steve stepped up to the microphone. “ Attention, all SHIELD agents. This is Steve Rogers. You've heard a lot about me over the last few days, some of you were even ordered to hunt me down. But I think it's time you know the truth. SHIELD is not what we thought it was, it's been taken over by HYDRA. Alexander Pierce is their leader. The STRIKE and Insight crew are HYDRA as well. I don't know how many more, but I know they're in the building. They could be standing right next to you. They almost have what they want: absolute control. They shot Nick Fury and it won't end there. If you launch those Helicarriers today, HYDRA will be able to kill anyone that stands in their way, unless we stop them. I know I'm asking a lot, but the price of freedom is high, it always has been, and it's a price I'm willing to pay. And if I'm the only one, then so be it. But I'm willing to bet I'm not.”

“Did you have that written down somewhere?” You teased.

Steve shook his head and got ready to go. You pulled him in for one last kiss. “Come back to me.”

“They’re initiating launch” Maria interrupted.

Steve nodded. The hellicarriers began to erupt from the water. Steve took off and you sat back down. Mission time. Get your head in the game y/n. You thought to yourself sternly. You watch as Steve and Sam barely make it onto the first hellicarrier. You comms buzz with Steve and Sam’s voices. “Hey Cap, how do we know the good guys from the bad guys?”

“If they’re shooting at you, they’re bad.” Steve instructs

You fight back a laugh. This would be funny if you weren’t fighting for your lives. 

“Hey Cap, I found those bad guys you were talking about.” 

You hear gunfire through the comms and pray that they’ll make it out unscathed. The hellicarriers rise in the air, and you can’t quite see Steve and Sam anymore. You held your breath until you heard Steve’s voice. “Alpha lock.”

“One down, two more to go. We can do this.” You said into your comms. 

Shortly after that, you celebrate as you hear “Bravo lock” from Sam.

“Charlie Carrier's forty-five degrees off the port bow.” You say into the comms “Six minutes.”

Maria jumps into action as several HYDRA thugs break down the door. Steve’s voice comes through your comms unit “Y/N, are you ok up there?”

Steve’s chest feels like a vice is pressing in on him until he hears your voice.

“Get your head in the game Steve, you can’t be worrying about us up here. We’re handling it.” Your chest feels tight, like someone had just taken all the air out of the room. You try to shake it off, and feel the leftovers of a headache lingering.

“Right.” Steve grumbles, turning back to the battle despite his instincts screaming at him to turn the ship around and head back to you. “Right.” He says again as he remembers the thousands of lives that hang on the line.

You likewise turn your thoughts to the mission at hand. There was no backup, no other help. There was nothing but you and your small team standing between HYDRA and the rest of the world. You couldn’t fail.

Thousands of miles above your head, Steve burst into the control room of the last carrier and stumbled to a stop. Bucky was standing frozen in front of the panel, a cold and detached look on his face. Anxiety ripped through Steve and although you couldn’t see his face, you felt it too.

“A lot of people are going to die, Buck. I can’t let that happen.” He whispered into the comms. You felt your heart freeze and you and Maria exchanged a glance. You’d known there was a possibility that the Winter Soldier would be aboard one of the carriers, but you’d hoped Steve wouldn’t have to go against him. You weren’t sure he’d be able to finish the mission. You gripped the desk tightly.

“Come on, Stevie.” You murmured.

“Don’t make me do this.” Steve pleaded.

Bucky took a step forward and Steve pushed his feelings into a small box in the corner of his mind. Thousands of miles below, you felt a clinical detachment wash over you as you and Maria waited breathlessly for the final lock.

“One minute.” Maria whispered.

“Working on it!” Steve called, flinging his shield. Bucky threw his arm up and the shield bounced off, harmlessly. Bucky pulled out a knife and threw it, impaling Steve in the shoulder.

Steve screamed. Your eyes squeezed shut and you bit your lip to keep yourself from calling out.

Steve rolled, trying to knock Bucky’s feet out from under him and raced towards the control panel. He pulled the chip from his belt and reached for the panel when a gun fired.

Steve screamed as his shoulder jerked at the force of the bullet. The chip slipped through his fingers and he scrambled to grab it again.

Bucky charged at him and threw a punch. Steve shook his head, dazed and threw his feet up, knocking Bucky off the catwalk and onto the ground below. He gripped the chip and turned back to the control panel. He grimaced as another gunshot sounded in the room. Steve bit back his scream as the bullet lodged somewhere in his abdomen.

Still, he slid the chip into place. “Charlie lock.” He murmured.

“Alright Steve, get out of there, and let’s blow these to kingdom come.”

“Push the button, y/n” Steve says. You feel the crushing weight of resignation in his voice as if it's a thousand pound lead weight in your heart. 

“Steve, you aren’t clear.”

“Baby,” Steve’s voice cracks softly through the comms. “Baby you have to press the button. People are going to die.”

Tears spring to your eyes as you whisper. “You promised you’d come back to me, Steve.”

“I know. I know I did, baby, you gotta press the button.”

Your whole hand shakes like a leaf as you hit the button on the screen and scream as you watch the guns turn and fire. You burst out of the room, racing down the stairs as you faintly hear Maria call after you. All you can think about in the crushing emotions surrounding you, and the fact that you have to get to Steve. You have to save Steve.

You hear noise in your comms, but tune it out. 

You miss the hellicarrier crashing into the side of the tower, you miss Natasha’s voice as she’s electrocuted, you miss the shots fired from Fury’s gun as he ends Alexander Pierce. You just have to get to Steve. 

You couldn't help but watch in abject terror as Steve fell from the airship. His body limp like a rag doll as it fell in what seemed to be slow motion towards the water. You didn't hear the horrified scream you let out as you watched his body collide with the water, the remains of the airship tumbling into the water after it. You didn't think, you just ran, diving into the water, frantically searching for Steve. He couldn't be dead. You had to save him. You had to save Steve. Your oxygen began to run out, you had to surface, gulping in oxygen before diving again. Where was he? You gulped another breath when there was a familiar flash of silver and Steve lying on the bank.

Long practiced strokes and you’re quickly pulling yourself out of the water. “Steve?” You shake Steve’s shoulder, hoping he’ll open those blue eyes you’ve fallen in love with. “Steve?!”

“Maria, I need help at the banks, I have Steve, but he’s hurt and he’s swallowed a lot of water. I need med evac now!”

You pushed aside your fears and began assessing Steve, you count to thirty as you pump on his chest, giving two rescue breaths, watching his chest inflate and beginning again. Steve doesn’t move. His eyes don’t open, and soon, you’re being pulled back as EMTs enter the scene, Natasha pulls you back. Holding you tightly as you fight to get back to Steve. “Steve! Please, don’t leave me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for sticking with us, we know that was mean. We are still writing the next one as we post this! Stay tuned and let us know what you think!


	16. Bless Your Heart

Machines beep, monitors beep, Steve looks far too pale. But yet, they assure you he’ll make it. He’ll wake up. You don’t leave. You don’t eat. You don’t sleep. You keep silent watch. Machines beep. Monitors beep. It all feels the same for the next two days. He should have woken up by now. You keep waiting for his eyes to open. You watch as a nurse comes in with a syringe, more sedative. They don’t want him to wake up too quickly, but it looks like it's too much. “How much medication is in that syringe?” you ask, covering Steve’s IV with your hand.

“Don’t tell me how to do my job. You kill people for a living. I save them. What do you know?” she snaps.

“Excuse me?” You snarl “Honey, I don’t know what your mama taught you, but bless your little heart, you’re right, I could snap you like a twig and they’d never find your rotting corpse, not even the turkey vultures, but I was bein’ nice, something my mama taught me. But now I’m gonna teach you a lesson your mama shoulda taught you.”

You grab the nurse by the front of her scrub top. “Respect the predators, we’ll eat you for lunch and spit your bones out for the vultures to use as chew toys.”

You feel Steve’s hand twitch underneath yours and your head swung to him, tears already forming in your eyes. “Go easy on her, huh doll? Not all of us can be super.” You flung yourself against his chest as the terrified nurse slipped out of the room behind you. You didn’t pay any attention to her as you clung to Steve and let the past two days of grief, heartache and angst pour out in sobs.

Steve rubbed your back weakly. “It’s okay, doll. I’m okay.”

“You promised you’d come back to me.” You sobbed.

“I did, baby. I did.” 

You pulled away from him and glared. “You almost didn’t.” You accused.

Steve sighed and pulled you close, unable to defend himself. He just held you against his chest and thanked whoever was listening that he was still here.

\------------------------------

You didn’t leave Steve’s side over the next two days while he recovered, you were lounging in between his legs with your back pressed up against his chest watching television when you noticed someone you’d only seen on TV and in magazines walk through the door with a bouquet of yellow roses. Ones that matched the cowboy boots you’d managed to get Nat to bring you from your apartment. 

“Hey Boots,” Tony smiled. “I hear Capsicle is getting released today.”

“Sure is, I’m excited to get him home. Only so much of a hospital Steve can take before we all go insane.”

“Have you found a place to go? I figured you’d need a job with SHIELD going away.”

You hadn’t really thought about that just yet. Steve didn’t really have a job anymore either. “No… I guess I hadn’t gotten that far yet.”

“You seem pretty important to Steve, here. I’m sure we can find you a place a Stark Industries, perks of being the boss. Why don’t you both move in to the tower? I can have your stuff dropped there and send a jet to pick you up once Steve signs all his paperwork.”

“Sure, we can’t let the damsel in distress here be left unsupervised, he’ll jump out of a plane without a parachute again.”

“Who told you about that? And Hey! I’m an adult.” Steve whined.

“Who do you think trained me?”

Tony laughed and settled into the chair for a visit. You didn’t make any effort to get up. You were cold, and Steve’s supersoldier body was the perfect space heater. Tony left after about an hour, and a nurse came in with paperwork for Steve to sign. You handed him some clothes to change into, and he protested when the nurse brought a wheelchair for him to sit in. “I’m walking out.”

“No, you’re not, you almost drowned and you scared the shit out of me. Sit your spangley ass down.”

“Language.”

Steve reluctantly sat and you walked outside to the waiting SUV, Steve slid in and you slid into the driver’s seat. Putting the address Tony gave you into the GPS and heading for the private hangar Tony kept at extra quinjet in.

The flight to the tower was quick. The quinjet landed without fanfare on the helipad. Tony met you and ushered you to a generously sized apartment. You were surprised to see that all of the boxes from your apartment and Steve’s were in the same room. “I figured you two would like to have some shared spaces. You both have your own rooms too.”

You helped Steve lay down on the couch and you got to unpacking, trying to use up your pent up anxiety from the past several days. Once you’d exhausted yourself, you settled on the floor near Steve’s head. He gently tugged your ponytail. “Come lay down with me, let’s watch a movie.”

You laid down with your head on Steve’s chest, and Steve picked an old film in black and white that you both enjoyed. Before you knew it, you’d both fallen asleep. Your hands entwined.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We hope this fluff makes up for some of the angst. Let us know what you think!


	17. Cap and Boots

The sound of a door being swung open jolted you from your sleep. “You know, I gave you both beds for a reason,” Tony said sarcastically as he looked at your and Steve’s entwined forms on the couch. You grumbled and slipped your hand beneath the couch cushions.

“I’m gonna shoot him. I’m gonna shoot him like I shot the rabid raccoon in the backyard.” 

Steve chuckled and put a firm hand on your hip. “You can’t shoot Tony.” He murmured, pressing his lips against your temple. His eyes swung to Tony and narrowed. “Yet.” He added.

Tony flung a hand against his chest in the most dramatic way possible. “I take you in out of the goodness of my heart and this is how you repay me?” He shook his head. “I expected more out of America’s golden boy.”

You pulled the gun out of the cushions.

Tony rolled his eyes. “Cap’ and Boots. There’s a gala tonight. Get up, you’re going.” 

Somehow, your eyes narrowed even further. ‘Boots?’ You mouthed dangerously.

Tony shrugged a shoulder and glanced pointedly at your cowboy boots you hadn’t taken off last night. You quirked an eyebrow. “At least you didn’t catch us knockin’ boots.” You smiled suggestively raising and lowering your eyebrows.

Tony spun around, ears pink. “Well lookee there, Stevie. Didn’t know Tony Stark himself could blush like that.”

“Just get dressed!” Tony ordered, stomping out of the room. 

You turned to Steve and grinned. He brushed your hair out of your face. “Knocking boots?” He asked, gently tapping his feet against yours.

You leaned down to press a quick kiss on his lips. “Aww ain’t you innocent.” You said softly. “We’ll take care of that.”

You pushed yourself off the couch and sauntered away.

A knock on the door had you changing direction abruptly and you opened the door to see a frazzled looking woman holding two large garment bags and a box of shoes. “Mr. Stark asked me to deliver these.” She explained quickly. “He says you’re under orders to wear them.”

You sighed and took them from her. You smiled your thanks before you shut the door in her face and turned to Steve. He glanced at the bags in your hands and then at your face. “I’m almost afraid to see what’s inside.” He joked.

You nodded your head. “Guess we don’t have much of a choice now, do we?” You said.

Steve sighed and took his garment bag from you before he shooed you towards your room. “Better start getting ready. Trust me. It’s better not to keep Tony waiting at things like this.” Steve’s ears turned pink at some distant memory and your shoulders slumped.

“Great.”

Still, you grabbed the box of shoes and the sure-to-be gaudy dress and slunk into your room.

You laid the bag on your bed and slowly unzipped the bag. You flung it open and couldn’t help yourself but scream bloody murder.

A shout sounded in the other room and something shattered before Steve burst into your room in the next instant. “What is it? What’s wrong?” He demanded, glancing around the room.

You gripped the bag tightly in your hands, covering the dress with your whole body. “No! Get out! You can’t see it!”

Steve held up his hands in confusion and backed out of the room. He swung the door closed. “The dress?” He asked. “Is it . . . is it revealing?”

You glared at the monstrosity in the garment bag and wished you’d murdered the billionaire while you’d had the chance. “I’m gonna kill him, Steve. I know he’s your friend so I’ll give you a chance to say your goodbyes, but tonight? He dies.”

“Come on, doll. It can’t be that bad.”

You ran your fingers through the material and wondered how Tony had known. “It can be and it is.” You growled. You were going to MURDER everyone. 

Steve was at a loss for words. “Okay . . . well . . . if you need help hiding the body?” He joked.

“Natasha trained me. There won’t be anything left to bury.”

Steve swallowed hard and backed away from your door. “Right . . . right . . .” He snuck back into his room and closed the door. Just what had he gotten in the middle of?

Steve knocked on your door almost timidly about an hour later. You were sitting at a vanity putting the finishing touches on your bright red lipstick. Your hair up in a beautiful and elaborate updo, and the red ballgown hanging off your hips as if it had been made just for you. The beading seemed to glow under the soft lighting of the bedroom, and while you’d never admit it, you knew you looked stunning. You stood and opened the door with a smile. 

“You ready to go doll?” Steve asked just before he saw you and was rendered speechless.

“You’re gonna catch flies Rogers”

“You look beautiful,” Steve said with a look of awe written across his face.

“You don’t look so bad yourself, soldier.”

Steve shook his head, unable to tear his eyes away from you. “Th . . . this is what was so bad?” He asked.

Your expression darkened abruptly and Steve took an unconscious step backward. Your smile was all teeth and vitriol. “Well, now, Steve. If you only knew.”

Steve offered his arm out awkwardly and you took it with a slightly softer smile as he led you out of the apartment and down towards the elevators. Steve kept shooting glances at you when he thought you weren’t looking. 

You smiled softly to yourself.

The elevators opened and you and Steve stepped out into the middle of the gala that was already in full swing. Tony caught sight of you and stepped away from his conversation partner mid-sentence as he wandered to your side. “Cap’. Boots. Glad you could make it.”

“You didn’t give us much choice.” You seethed.

Tony had the audacity to wink. “Trust me, Roses, you’re gonna want to be here for the finale.”

You froze and shot an expression at Tony that could only be described as ‘you didn’t.

His return smile seemed to say; ‘oh, but I did.’

Steve glanced at you. “Y/N? Are you okay?” 

You plastered a smile on your face and turned to him. “Sure, Stevie. Just need some air.”

Tony shook his head. “You can’t leave just yet! The fun’s about to start.”

He grabbed your hand and pulled you away from Steve and towards the middle of the party. He gestured at the live band playing in the corner and they abruptly stopped. A spotlight lit up around you and Tony at the flick of his wrist.

“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen!” He called out. “Welcome to our little home.” A cheer went up through the crowd and your hand fumbled in the folds of the dress for the slit you’d made for easy access to your thigh holster. You didn’t care how many witnesses there were, he was a dead man walking.

Tony waited for the cheers to die down. “Yes. Well. Tonight, we have a special guest here with us. The newest member of the Avengers!” The crowd’s eyes sifted to you and you fumbled harder for your weapon. Damn the yards of fabric on your dress!

“What many of you don’t know, is just how HONORED we are to have Texas’ own Miss Texas Roses 2010 with us! Give a big hand for our newest recruit!” 

All around your screen lit up with images and videos of your time as a pageant girl. Every ball gown, every swimsuit, every talent portion. He had even found home videos of your debutante ball. 

You saw red, and it wasn’t because of your dress.

You smiled sweetly as you leaned closer to Tony. Everyone’s eyes were so focused on the screens you were easily able to slip the gun that you’d finally managed to grab, into Tony’s suit jacket and press it hard against his side. “You may be something with your suits, Mr. Stark. But let’s see how this pageant girl handles you without one.”

Tony’s smile suddenly turned brittle as he nodded at you. Steve looked up at you, eyes wide in realization and you saw Natasha move to the computers from across the room to end the video montage. You slipped your gun back in its holster and followed Tony towards the side of the room. Steve was with you in an instant, Natasha not far behind as you led Tony into the hallway. “You just blew my cover and jeopardized my entire family.” You seethed at him, trying to keep control of your temper. 

Steve was seeing red too, “You just don’t think do you Stark?”

Natasha was fiddling with a knife that you weren’t entirely sure you wanted to know where she was hiding in her skin tight barely there dress. “Really Tony? You couldn’t have put two and two together that that was a bad idea?” 

Pepper stepped out of the room, quietly taking in the scene. “Tony, I told you not to do that.” 

She turned to you “I’m sorry, I couldn’t get to the computers in time. We’ll do what we can to ensure that your family remains safe and as anonymous as they can.”

“They don’t know I work for SHIELD. I’d like to keep it that way.” You said softly. Steve ran a hand up and down your arm, tucking you into his side.

“Why don’t I introduce you to the team, y/n. I’m sure everyone is excited to meet you.”

You sent one last murderous glare in Tony’s direction but nodded at Steve when Natasha took another step towards the inventor and met your eye. She gave you a subtle nod and you knew she had your back.

Steve led you away from Pepper, Nat, and Tony and towards the ballroom. He spotted the team sitting in a pit group of couches away from all the commotion. You quickly spotted a tall, imposing man with long, blonde curly hair. “Lady y/n! It is so nice to finally meet you!” He boomed. And this must be Thor. you thought to yourself. “It’s nice to meet you too.”

“Well, you’ve met Thor now, that is Bruce, Sam, Rhodey, and Clint.” Steve gestured to his teammates. 

“How’s about a private show later.” Sam chuckled and you rolled your eyes.

“Sorry Sam, I only have eyes for one Avenger. I like my men a little older”

Steve couldn’t even begin to process your comment; he was too busy thinking of all the ways he could end Sam during a mission. Clint elbowed Sam sharply “Cut it out Sam, not cool.” 

Rhodey echoed Clint’s statement “Where’s Tony? Is he still alive after that stunt?”

“Not for long if the look on Pepper’s face had anything to say about it,” Bruce smirked.

Natasha, Pepper, and Tony rejoined the group, Tony looked sheepish as he whispered an apology. Nat leaned in and whispered, “I deleted all of the pictures off of the computers. You don’t have anything to worry about.”

“Thanks, Nat.” Clint’s eyes widened at her nickname. No one called Natasha that. Even he had a bullet-shaped scar from the last time he’d tried. 

Soon the ballroom began to empty, leaving just the bartenders and the cleanup crew. Your new team left one by one, bidding you and Steve welcome and goodnight. Steve led you to the elevators, and you leaned your head against his shoulder as you ascended the tower’s floors. It had been a long night, but you felt like you were finally home. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More to come, internet issues kept us from finishing our outline, but soon you'll have more! Keep telling us what you think, we love to hear your feedback!


	18. Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath of CATWS.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for sticking with us through sporadic updates! We love your comments, so keep leaving them! :D

Sam followed you and Steve as Steve tucked you under his arm. Standing next to a headstone was Nick Fury, a man everyone assumed was dead. “So, you’ve experienced this sort of thing before?” He questioned.

“You get used to it.” Steve quipped, hugging you a little closer to his side, you couldn’t help but think about just how close you’d come to standing at his grave instead of by his side. You couldn’t help but shiver a little and tuck yourself closer to Steve. 

“We’ve been data-mining HYDRA’s files. Looks like a lot of rats didn’t go down with the ship. I’m headed to Europe tonight, wanted to ask if you’d come.”

Your eyes widened, you really hoped Steve wouldn’t take him up on the offer. You’d just found him, and you’d already almost lost him once. You weren’t thrilled about the prospect of him running off again.

“There’s something I gotta do first.” 

“What about you? Wilson? I could use people with your abilities.”

“I’m more of a soldier than a spy.” Sam replied.

“And you?” Fury asked.

“I promised Steve, I’m with him until the end of the line.” You hugged Steve a little tighter. There was no way you were leaving him. You felt him relax a little. It seems you two were on more of the same page than you originally thought. 

“Alright then.” Fury shakes everyone’s hands. “Anybody asks for me, tell them they can find me right here.” He walks away.

“He sure likes to make an exit, doesn’t he?” You laughed and turned to see Natasha walking up with a file.

“You should be honored, that’s about as close as he gets to saying thank you.”

“Not going with him?”

“Coming with us?”

“No.”

“Not staying here?”

“I blew all my covers, I gotta go figure out a new one.”

“That might take a while.”

“I’m counting on it. That thing you asked for, I called in a few favors from Kiev.” She handed Steve a folder titled in Russian. “Take care of her. She gets hurt; I'll hurt you worse.”

Steve nodded. “I will.”

“Be careful Steve. You might not want to pull on that thread.”

You shrugged. That was Nat’s version of a shovel talk you guessed. Nat walked away and you read over Steve’s shoulder as he opened the file. You saw a photo of Bucky from before the war, Steve sighed and shut the folder. You knew that it would be a while before Steve opened up, but you knew you’d stick it out.

\---------------

Bucky’s jaw clenched and he glanced, once again, through his stolen binoculars as he staked out the HYDRA base he was observing.

Baron von Strucker was inside there, experimenting with another group of kids that he hoped to one day set on the Avengers. Bucky wasn’t sure how he felt about it. There was a part of him, a part that was growing stronger everyday that said that he knew the man he’d saved from the wreckage of the Helicarrier. Every now and again he could swear he would remember images of the man, looking much younger and much happier but just like that, the images would fade back into the haze of his mind again.

And then there was that woman. The woman he’d shot in the stomach. Somehow she’s not only survived but had swam the entire channel to get to that man’s side and there was something else about her . . . something Bucky couldn’t quite put his finger on.

He shook his head and turned back to his binoculars. He grabbed at the walkie-talkie beside him and switched it on, tuning it to the channels of the people talking inside the base. 

“It’s over. Fury has released everything to the public.” A man said.

“Everything he knows about.” The Baron agreed.

“If they get word of our work here . . . If they find out we serve HYDRA . . . “

“HYDRA . . . SHIELD . . . two sides of the same coin that’s no longer in currency. It doesn’t matter what they think they know. True power remains in the grasp of whoever is bold enough to seize it and we? We are the bold.”

“Still . . .”

Baron von Strucker cut him off. “The dead will be buried in graves so deep their own ghosts won’t be able to find them.”

“And the survivors?”

“Ah. The twins. Yes. The twins. Soon it will be time for the Avengers to meet them and when that time comes, they won’t know what hit them. SHIELD . . . HYDRA. All of it will rise again. You must have patience.”

Bucky’s jaw clenched as he listened to the men talk and he glanced through the binoculars to see a silver blur shoot past one of the windows. 

A part of him wanted to flee. His desire to get as far away from the people who had made his life a living hell for longer than he remembered a physical urge. But a bigger part of him, one that always been there no matter how many times they’d tried to bury it . . . that part urged him to stay put. The fight wasn’t over yet.

It was just beginning.


	19. Paris

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and Steve visit Paris

It had taken a few days for Steve to finally find the will to open the folder and start looking into The Winter Soldier. You had kept an ear to the ground in the meantime, monitoring all the backwater channels you could think of and a few you shouldn’t have known about, keeping your ear tuned for word about the missing HYDRA assassin. You’d always known that Steve would want to get him back.

You’d been thinking about it long and hard and you had realized something after you’d been shot by The Winter Soldier. In the moment before you’d lost consciousness, you’d felt a wave of love pour out of Steve and it hadn’t been the platonic kind.

You hadn’t said anything to Steve yet. You weren’t sure you understood it yourself. But somehow you’d known that Steve was about to make it his life’s mission to track Bucky down. You were going to make it yours to help him. This was one mystery you needed to solve for your own sake.

“Any word?” Steve asked you as you let yourself into the apartment. 

You blew a bubble with your gum and shrugged a shoulder as you kicked the door shut with your boot. “Think I mighta picked something up in Paris of all places.” You said. 

Steve glanced at you. “Really?” He asked.

You nodded as you slumped into a chair beside him. “Yeah. That mean something to you?”

Steve glanced at the file he had laid out on the table. “Maybe.” He said, sorting through some of the pages. “Maybe.”

Before the night was out, you’d booked a flight to Paris. You settled into the first class seats, courtesy of Tony Stark’s black card. The flight attendant offered you both some wine, seemingly a little starstruck at being there to serve Steve. “No thank you. I’ll pass” 

You really didn’t want to be drunk and facing The Winter Soldier. You napped on and off curled up against Steve’s side, knowing that sleep was important now, because who knew when you’d get the chance to sleep again. You felt a wave of anxiousness from Steve, you were becoming more aware of whatever this power was. It was definitely growing stronger. You should tell Steve about it, but later. He had enough on his plate now. 

As you felt the landing gear hit the ground, you began to slip back into mission mode, you noted the people around you as you exited out into the terminal. Steve kept his hand in yours, and you slipped out into the cool Parisian air, it was evening time, and everything was lit up with the most beautiful lights. You finally understood why Paris was the city of love.

Tony had booked your hotel, a grand suite with all the trimmings. Typical Tony Stark. You and Steve checked the suite for bugs, and then again for cameras. You stashed a few weapons here and there and then spread out on the bed. “Oh, I need one of these at home Steve, look at all the room for activities.”

Steve glanced from you to the rest of the bed and back again. “Uh . . . “ He blushed.

You pushed up on your elbow. “Well aren’t you pretty in pink.” You winked.

Steve blushed harder and gestured over his shoulder to the balcony. “I’m . . . I’m just gonna . . .” He bolted.

You smiled after him though your smile faltered slightly at the wave of emotions you could barely untangle. What the hell was happening to you?

Unnerved, you followed him out on the balcony. “Thinking about jumping? I don’t think you should.” You said casually, glancing out at the view of the Eiffel Tower.

Steve chuckled nervously, though he calmed when he saw that your flirtatious mood from earlier had disappeared. “No. Just thinking about the last time I was in Paris.” He said.

You glanced at him sharply. “You’ve been to Paris before?”

He chuckled. “Yeah. It wasn’t as glamorous back then. The war had leveled most of Europe. I can’t say I did much sight seeing.”

You watched him closely. “What was he like?” You asked after a minute.

Steve glanced at you and let out a long breath. “He woulda liked you.” He said.

You smiled. “What makes you say that?” You asked.

Steve chuckled and glanced back out over the scenery. “He had a thing for feisty women.” 

“I’ll try not to be offended.”

Steve shook his head. “I’m serious doll. You have a strength that he would have appreciated.”

You smiled softly. 

Steve continued. “He was strong too, you know. Took care of me.”

“That’s saying a lot.” You noted.

“Well now it’s my turn not to be offended.” Steve said, smirking at you.

You shrugged a shoulder. “In the month that I’ve known you, you’ve almost gotten yourself killed four times Steve. Four. You’re like that damn dog that won’t leave the old ranch horse alone.”

Steve’s eyebrows furrowed as he tried to do the math.

You helped him along. You held up your fingers one by one. “You jumped out of a moving jet without a parachute on. You jumped out of an elevator. You almost got blown up by a missile strike and you almost got yourself killed on that helicarrier.”

Steve blushed. “It’s not that bad.” He muttered.

You rolled your eyes.

Steve glanced back out over the city and you followed his gaze. For a long minute the two of you were quiet, each lost in your own thoughts.

You let your mind wander, taking in the emotions that surrounded you until you felt a deep yearning fill you. A kind that felt oddly familiar and yet different too. You glanced around. It wasn’t coming from Steve but somehow you knew it was directed at the both of you. Your critical eyes scanned the street, but you couldn’t see anything.

“Are you okay?” Steve asked, putting a gentle hand on your back.

“Yeah.” You said, narrowing your eyes on a flash of black and silver just as it rounded a corner.

The feelings faded and you shook your head to clear it. “Yeah, I’m fine.” You smiled at Steve who didn’t look entirely convinced.

The two of you slipped back into the hotel room and spent the rest of the day planning.

You and Steve scoured the streets of Paris the next day, looking and listening for anything you could hear. Every now and again, you would swear you would feel a yearning for something just out of reach echo from someone just out of sight but before you could pinpoint it, it would always disappear again.

You spent a week in Paris before even Steve had to admit that you weren’t likely to find Bucky here.

“Well pick up a new lead soon.” You promised as the two of you packed up your hotel room.

Steve smiled at you, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “I’m sure we will.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We have more to come soon! Enjoy the next few chapters of fluff. Ultron is coming soon!
> 
> Any theories or guesses as to what's happening to reader?
> 
> Any thoughts about what's going to happen next?
> 
> Let us know!


	20. Candor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Date night in Italy leads to confessions and revelations.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Despite the technical difficulties (and our own stupidity) we have PREVAILED, dear readers, in bringing you another installment of Southern Belle. Thanks for sticking with us. We have a lot of great things in store. Hope to see you again soon!

(Bucky’s POV):

I peered around the corner as Steve Rogers and the woman I’d learned was named Y/N sat at yet another corner cafe. I pressed myself further into the shadows as I strained my ears towards their quiet conversation.

“You’ll find him eventually, Steve.” You said softly. You put your hand against Steve’s back and rubbed gentle circles there. A pang shot through my heart and I instinctively grabbed at my chest unfamiliar with the feeling. A snarl curled at my lips at the display and I almost took a step forward before I could stop myself.

Steve smiled at you and nodded. “I know.” He said. He reached out and placed a hand on the side of your face, drawing you in for a kiss. Again, a pang of jealousy shot through me but this time it accompanied by a flash of me, pulling in a woman who looked a lot like you in for a kiss.

The two of you turned back to your menus and the conversation lulled for a minute.

As had been happening more a more with you lately, your brow furrowed in confusion as the silence lulled and your eyes darted towards my position. Instinctively I ducked back into the shadows before you could catch me. It was uncanny your ability to sense me and I didn’t trust it.

“Doll? You okay?” Steve asked.

I risked a glanced back around the wall to see that you’d pushed from the table. You glanced down at Steve. “Yeah. Yeah. I just . . . I thought I saw something. I’ll be right back.”

You leaned down to press another kiss to Steve’s lips before you turned and walked away from the table, headed towards me.

I ducked into the shadows, my heart pounding. For the first time I wasn’t sure if I wanted to be found or remain hidden in the shadows. There was something about you that drew me in even when my years of training told me to stay away.

You stepped closer and closer and I eyed my exits, searching for a way to be seen yet still reluctant to abandon you completely. 

I closed my eyes and waited for the inevitable when suddenly, a soft gasp sounded. My eyes flew open and I saw you, standing in front of me with wide eyes.

“It’s you.” You said, taking a step closer. You stumbled over your feet and without thinking twice I stepped forward and caught you around the waist. Time seemed to freeze as you glanced up at me. A wave of emotions I couldn’t even begin to comprehend spilled out around us and for a moment, I felt peace for the first time that I could remember. A wave of images flooded my mind and I remembered. I remembered the man you were sitting with earlier. He was smaller then, sicker, but he’d been courageous and stubborn. I’d . . . I’d loved him.

I gasped and pulled you to your feet before I thrust my hands in my pockets. My mind was screaming with the flood of information I was struggling to process. I backed away, suddenly needing to get away from you and the feelings and images you invoked.

“Don’t go.” You pleaded, glancing behind you to see if Steve was still sitting at the table. You risked a step forward even as I desperately shook my head and backed further away. 

“He needs you.” You said.

I shook my head harder and tensed to run. “I’m . . . I’m sorry . . .” I said. I glanced at the conflicted expression on your face and shook my head one last time. “I’m sorry.” I turned and ran.

(Reader POV)

You watched as he retreated, confused by the sudden swarm of emotions, love, overwhelm, fear, and something you couldn’t quite place that made your stomach churn in knots. It wasn’t quite anger, it felt deeper and more nauseating. You whispered “Please don’t go..”

Tears welled up in your eyes as you went back to your table. Taking in Steve’s worried expression, you dropped down into your seat. “He’s here Steve. Bucky’s here, he ran away. I… I don’t know… I don’t know…”

Steve’s head whipped around as he debated leaving you as upset as you were to look for Bucky. His care for you won out. He knew that if Bucky didn’t want to be found that he wouldn’t be found. “Sweetheart, are you hurt? Are you okay?” He couldn’t understand the reason behind your tears. 

You shook your head. “I’m not hurt, he caught me when I tripped. Steve, something is weird. It’s like I can feel everyone’s emotions. He’s overwhelmed, sad, maybe even angry, but I can’t quite place the other feeling, it made me nauseous, almost possessive. He ran Steve, I feel like its my fault. He ran.”

Steve circled the table and took you into his arms. “It’s alright, Doll. We’ll find him. I’m sure he’ll come back.” Steve’s head was reeling. He couldn’t quite place how he was feeling, but knowing now that you could feel him, he tried his hardest to calm down. 

You felt a strong sensation of anxiety, but overwhelmingly the feeling you felt was love. You couldn’t decide if it was Steve’s or your own, but it felt like a warm fire on a cold winter day. Steve kissed your hair and you melted into his embrace. You felt like maybe Steve wasn’t telling you something, but you didn’t want to push him.”

Once you calmed down, Steve, concerned, asked “When did you start feeling everyone’s emotions?”

“I think shortly after the explosion. Maybe before, I don’t really know. It's been weird for a little while. Sometimes it's overwhelming, but maybe I have it for a reason.”

Steve felt another wave of panic rise up in him that he did his best to snuff out. You almost grinned as you felt him try, but your nerves were too frayed for you to fully grin. “Why didn’t you say anything, sweetheart? That was months ago.”

You shrugged a shoulder. “You’ve had a lot on your plate, baby. I didn’t want to worry you.”

A wave of love flowed through Steve that he could even begin to stop. “You still should have said something. I’ll always make time for you.”  
You glanced up at him with tear filled eyes and a wry smile. “Well Steve, that’s sweet but in between chasin’ down your soldier, explosions and SHIELD fallin’ maybe I didn’t have time for YOU.”

Steve chuckled. “You make a fair point.” He said.

You smiled at him and turned back to the menus, no longer hungry. Steve seemed to pick up on it. “Want to go back to the hotel?”

You smiled at him gratefully. “Yes, please.” You said.

The two of you pushed to your feet and Steve intertwined his hand with yours as he led you back to the hotel.

\----------------------------------------------

Steve opened the door and gestured you inside first. “After you.” He said with a smile.

You shook your head at his old-school charm and dipped into a half-curtsey. “Why, thank you.” You giggled. You felt freer than you had in weeks after finally confessing your secret to Steve. 

Steve followed after you as you sat on the bed and glanced around. “So, what are we going to do?” You asked. 

Steve took your hand in his and kissed it. “I think . . .” He sighed and started again. “I think we should put the search on the backburner for now. Maybe we should go back home and see what we can figure out about these new powers of yours.”

You glanced at him in shock. “But . . . Bucky.” You said.

Steve’s shoulders drooped. “Bucky will always be a part of me but it’s clear he doesn’t want to be found. My first priority is you.”

You smiled at him softly as you placed your hand on his cheek. “That’s sweet, but you can’t tell me you’re just giving up on him.”

Steve looked at the pile of surveillance pictures haphazardly scattered on the table and then around the room. You felt the need building up inside of him before he said anything and a smile was already forming on your lips. Steve shook his head. “Doll . . .” He reached out to cradle your face. “I’ll never give up on him. Never. But you are my life now. And I . . .” He took a deep breath and seemed to come to some sort of decision in the back of his head. “And I love you.” He said softly.

Tears filled your eyes and you leaned closer so you could press your lips to his. “Aw, Stevie.” You murmured against his lips. “You have for awhile, I reckon.” 

You pulled away and watched in amusement as Steve’s blinked hard. Then a bashful smile slid into place. “That’s going to take some time to get used to.” He said.

You curled up next to Steve, you could feel that same nauseating feeling, a tightness in your chest. You glanced out the window, immediately looking for a familiar flash of silver.

Steve watched as you looked frantically around. “What is it, Doll? Are you okay?”

“I can feel him, Steve, he’s close by somewhere.”

Steve was on his feet in the next second, racing towards the window. You were right behind him. “Bucky?” He called, throwing the window open. 

You poked your head out alongside him to see someone jumping off the bottom of the fire-escape before you could catch him. You moved to jump out the window after Steve but he caught you around the waist. “What are you doing?” You demanded, gesturing at Bucky. “He’s right there!”

Steve shook his head and pulled you close to his chest. You didn’t see the look in his eye as he gazed out after the fleeing form with heartbreak and determination mixed with the love and fear he had for you. “He doesn’t want to be found.” He said. He wasn’t sure if he was trying to convince you or himself. Steve closed his eyes and focused on breathing you in. He hugged you tighter than normal and reminded himself that you needed to come first for now.

Steve glanced out the window just as Bucky turned a corner. “We’ll find him again, doll. Trust me.”

You nodded against his chest as you wrapped your arms around him too. Your eyes were focused out the window as you watched Bucky disappear around the corner. You swallowed hard as a new question entered your head. Was the infatuation you felt for Steve’s long lost lover yours? Or was it his? And what were you supposed to do about it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any thoughts? Comments? Prophecies for the future? Where do YOU think it's going? Let us know! :D


	21. Let's Talk

Steve glanced at you as you curled into him on the plane. You were on your way to Germany to follow up on the latest and hopefully last lead on Bucky’s whereabouts. Steve smiled as you murmured something vaguely threatening at some dreamed-up bad guy and curled closer to him. Steve raised your hand to his lips and kissed the back of it. You smiled in your sleep and Steve felt a wave of love flood out of you. He let out a deep breath and leaned back in his seat. It had been a few months since you’d let him know about your growing powers and he still wasn’t used to them. Sometimes, he wanted to ask more about them, but there was always something holding him back. He was terrified of you finding out the greatest secret he’d ever had. He was happy now. With you. He didn’t want you to ever question that.

Steve glanced down at the file on his lap and reviewed the information for the hundredth time. A blurry image of Bucky’s face stared back at him. Steve’s smile fell from his face as he glanced at a face he used to know like the back of his hand. He was desperate to know what had happened to Bucky but knew that sooner or later, it was one situation that was going to have to be addressed. 

Steve sighed. It was a fine mess he’d gotten himself into this time.

\---------------------------------

You made your way through the airport with Steve, grabbing your bags from the baggage claim and trying to lay low. Germany didn’t hold very good memories for Steve, and you could feel the tension rolling off of him like a tidal wave. You squeezed his hand. “I have a good feeling Steve, I think this is our last lead.”

Steve nodded curtly and took your bag from you, carrying both outside to the waiting rental car. You rode to the hotel in silence, you were trying to block out his emotions, but you just couldn’t. You reached your hand across the console and sat your hand on Steve’s thigh. “Wanna talk about it, Stevie?”

Steve grit his teeth and nodded curtly. You could feel the swell of anxiety rising up in him which wasn’t necessarily unusual. It was a feeling you were getting used to from him before each mission you undertook. But this time, it was different. There was a greater sense of urgency about it, almost like your world was closing in around you that made you want to claw at your chest. 

You sighed and squeezed his thigh before you glanced out of the windows. The rest of the ride to the hotel passed in silence.

\---------------------------------

You stood next to the window and glanced out at the street as subtly as possible. Your eyes were laser focused, desperately searching for the simple flash of silver you’d become so familiar with. “Anything?” Steve asked from beside the bed as he sorted through some of the equipment you’d brought.

You shook your head and sighed. “Your contact was sure he was here?” You asked.

Steve nodded. “There were pictures.” He said. “I’m positive.”

You turned back to the window, your lips pressed together in a grim line. A sudden knock on the door had your hand flying to the gun tucked in the back of your pants. You and Steve exchanged a quick glance. “You expecting anyone?” You asked.

Steve shook his head. You drew your gun and took a step towards the door but Steve held out an arm to keep you back as he advanced on the door instead. If the swell of anxiety that had just swept through the apartment wasn’t making it hard for you to breath, you would have rolled your eyes. For now, though, you concentrated on taking one slow breath after another as Steve walked towards the door.

He glanced through the peephole and the anxiety morphed into a shock that stole your breath anyway. 

“Steve?” You asked, taking a step forward.

Steve shook his head and opened the door slowly. “Buck?” He asked.

Your breath caught in your throat as the man you’d been searching for for the past year walked into the room. Steve shut the door behind him.

“You . . . you’re here.” You stammered out.

Bucky’s eyes which had been flicking around the room, taking everything in, immediately flicked to you. The tension in the room built as he watched you with an unreadable expression on his face but a sense of longing that you couldn’t help but taste.

“Bucky?” Steve asked again from behind the two of you.

Bucky tensed as he turned to face Steve and you nearly stumbled to your knees at the force of the love you felt there. From which, you couldn’t tell.

“You shouldn’t be here.” Bucky said. “You need to leave.”

Steve shook his head and took a step forward. “No. No, we’re here for you. We’re here to take you home. Somewhere safe.”

Bucky shifted his weight from foot to foot, clearly antsy, and shoved his hands in his jacket pockets. “You need to go.” He said, more firmly.

“You know we won’t hurt you.” You said softly, drawing Bucky’s attention back to you. Something flashed in his eyes that looked suspiciously like desire before he shook his head again.

“I don’t know you. Stop following me.”

You could sense the lie but the words cut to your heart anyway.

Steve’s heartbreak ripped through you so hard that you gasped in pain. Bucky’s eyes flew to you and he took a step forward, his arm stretching out before he caught himself. He shoved his hand back in his pocket and shook his head at you and Steve. “I don’t want you here. Go home.”

With that, he turned and left the room, leaving you and Steve to pick up the shattered remains of whatever he’d left behind. You listened to the door slam, you couldn’t quite wrap your head around what you were feeling as you felt the full weight of Steve’s sorrow, hurt and what felt a little like anger overwhelm you. You stared at the door, unmoving, as the tears began to fall. You didn’t know exactly why Bucky didn’t want Steve around, but in your heart, you knew that if it came down to it, you’d step aside for Bucky to be with Steve.

Steve’s arms wrapped around your waist as he turned you into himself. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. I didn’t know he’d act like that or I’d never have let him in.”

You just shook your head as sobs wracked your body. You trembled in a way you hadn’t since you left Texas and your family behind. You couldn’t control it, and you really didn’t know what to do anymore. 

Just outside the door and around the corner, Bucky listened in as he heard your sobs. Part of him wanted to rush back in, tell you that it was all a lie, that he wanted you and he wanted Steve, but that’s not how things go, and Steve should be happy with someone he could really be with. Someone he didn’t have to hide with. Someone who was good.

You felt the sadness, more than your own and more than Steves, but it faded. He was really gone.

\-----------------------------

Steve held you until your sobs had quieted, a million thoughts rushing through his head. The biggest thought though, the one that was screaming at him was that you had felt something. He swallowed hard as you pulled out of his arms and straightened yourself out.

“Do you want to go get dinner?” He asked. “I think we should talk.”

You froze your hands against your shirt as his underlying message seeped through. “Yeah.” You said softly. I think we should.”

Steve smiled sadly at you and held out his hand. You stared at it for a minute before you took it and let Steve lead you out of the hotel and down to the small diner just down the street.

The two of you sat in silence for a long minute before your food arrived. You smiled and thanked your waiter before you turned to stare at your dish.

Steve stared at you from across the table. “I need to tell you something.” He said. “Something important and . . .” You glanced up as he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. “Something I probably should have told you a long time ago.

You took Steve’s hands and waited for him to tell you what you already knew. 

“Back during the war, well and before it, it wasn’t legal for a man to be with a man. Hell, it still isn’t exactly accepted everywhere. Buck and I, well we were together.” Steve looked sheepish like a little boy afraid he was about to be yelled at. You simply nodded and squeezed Steve’s hands.

“Steve, I already knew. I can feel it whenever you look at him. If there’s a chance you can have that again. I. . . I’ll step back. I love you enough that I want you to be happy, even if it’s not with me.” You teared up, but tried to blink them back. Steve needed to make this decision without you in mind. He needed to make it without you influencing him. You needed to leave. You needed to leave now. You stood up. You didn’t look back. And you did what you’d always been best at. You ran. 

You ran faster than you knew you could, back to the hotel, you booked a ticket and you hailed a cab and headed for the airport. 

\------------------------

Steve was dumbfounded. He didn’t know what to do, it was like he was frozen in place. Did you just break up with him? 

Around the corner, Bucky stared on, willing Steve to get up and follow you. He was resisting the urge to follow you himself. Didn’t Steve know what could be lurking in the dark corners of a city like this? He shook his head, turning to follow you. If Steve wouldn’t keep you safe, he would.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let us know what you think? Where do you think this is going? @MrsFredXWeasley this may or may not be payback


	22. The Mission

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A mission, a shot, two self-sacrificing idiots.

You dove behind a tree as a HYDRA goon opened fire on your location. “Get your head in the game.” Natasha snaps behind you as you tried to catch your breath. You flipped her the bird.

Steve glanced at you out of the corner of his eye. His eyes frantically searched you top to bottom, looking for injury before he turned his attention back to the fight at hand. It went against every protective instinct to let you fight your own battle in the middle of this HYDRA hell, but neither of you had any choice. Steve had barely made it back home, intent on demanding what the hell had happened back in Germany when you were both pulled out on this mission.

You hadn’t looked at him once. His stomach was twisted in knots and his head didn’t feel screwed on right. So it couldn’t have possibly been considered his fault when Tony yelled; “Shit!” and Steve responded; “Language!” 

Steve heard Tony’s gasp of amusement and cursed himself internally. He quickly changed the subject. “JARVIS? What’s the view from upstairs?”

You pushed back to your feet and lurched forward, aiming your gun as you took a few more goons out. A sense of dark foreboding filled you and you spun around and took out a HYDRA agent just as he was about to shoot you in the back.

“The central building is protected by some kind of energy shield. Strucker's technology is well beyond any other Hydra base we've taken.” JARVIS responded.

“Loki's scepter must be here. Strucker couldn't mount this defense without it.” Thor commented.

“Wait a second. No one else is going to deal with the fact that Cap just said ‘language?’” Tony asked.

“I know.” Steve groaned. He grabbed the handles of his bike and threw it straight ahead, letting himself vent the frustration he was feeling at the whole damn situation.

You glanced at Steve out of the corner of your eye and bit your lip as you tried to build a wall around your heart. Trying to psychoanalyze all the complicated emotions you were feeling in the middle of a war zone was a sure fire way to get yourself killed and Nat would have your head if she knew.

You snuck a quick glance at the spy and saw the disapproval on her face.

Unless she already knew, that was.

A silver blur shot past you, distracting you. You swung around looking for it. It flashed again and suddenly Clint was on his back.

“You didn’t see that coming?” A man asked, appearing out of nowhere.

“Clint!” Nat yelled, rushing towards the archer.

You raised your gun and laid down cover fire as she rushed to his side. The man disappeared in another blur of silver and a sudden feeling of familiar longing filled you. You swung around, looking for the other flash of silver you remembered, but the sudden distraction cost you.

The pain filled your body and drowned out the sounds of the battle around you, even managing to drown out the emotions of everyone except Steve, and one other person, but as the light around you started fading, you couldn’t quite place the anguish you were feeling. You placed a hand against your side, and brought it back to see your fingers covered in blood like a macabre version of finger paint. You saw steel blue eyes above you and a silver arm before the darkness overtook you and you went limp.

Bucky was by your side in an instant, calling your name even as he watched you go limp in the snow. “No, no, no, no, no.” He murmured to himself in Russian as he skid to a stop beside you and placed his hands against your side to staunch the flow of blood. “You can’t do this to me.” He murmured, glancing up at your pale face.

Nat glanced back and made a double take in surprise as she leveled her gun at Bucky. Steve shoved her out of the way. “Don’t shoot! Look, he’s helping her.”

Nat groaned, said something under her breath and nearly growled at Bucky. “Get her back to the jet. And I swear to god, if you hurt one hair on her head, I don’t care what shitty little country you hide in, I will find you and I will make you wish that HYDRA still had you.”

Bucky’s jaw clenched but he didn’t say anything. He just nodded curtly as he gathered you in his arms. Steve took a step forward but Bucky shot him a dark look that froze Steve in his tracks. He swallowed hard as Bucky turned and raced away, you cradled protectively in his arms.

“We gotta go, Rogers.” Nat grit out, still angry at him for stopping her. “We need to finish the mission.”

“The mission. Right. The mission.” Steve murmured, watching as Bucky disappeared out of view. Steve closed his eyes but couldn’t get the image of you bleeding out of his head. “Let’s go.”

\-----------------------------------

Bucky raced aboard the jet and glanced around. He laid you on the medical bed in the center of the jet and glanced around for medical supplies. He ripped through cupboards, uncaring of the mess he was making as you quickly bled out in front of him.

He grabbed a roll of gauze and pressed it against your wound. His eyes shot to yours as you groaned and weakly pressed at his hands. 

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” He murmured, knowing how much pain you must be in.

Your eyes fluttered open and you glanced over at him. “B . . . Bucky?” You asked, not quite believing your hazy vision.

Bucky nodded.

“What are you doin’ here?” You slurred.

Bucky opened and closed his mouth a few times before a smirked at you softly. “Someone had to save you, doll. Steve wasn’t going to.”

Tears slid down your face at the confusing emotions you felt radiating off of him. You shook your head. “Not true. He loves you.” You murmured, already fading again.

Bucky chuckled darkly. “He doesn’t know me.”

You reached out a shaking hand and grasped his wrist. “He does though. He remembers.” 

Bucky gasped as a sudden wave of emotions hit him square in the chest. A burning love that he had bright memories of filled him head to toe and seemed to finally melt the lingering bitter cold that had followed him around for the past seventy years. 

“He loves you.” You said again as your head lulled to the side. 

Bucky swallowed hard as he glanced down at you and stirrings of something similar to what you’d just shown him shot through his heart again as he brushed your hair out of your face. For the first time in almost seventy years, he smiled. His smile faltered as he heard your heartbeat stutter and slow, becoming erratic. “Doll, Doll!” he shook you trying to wake you up. He didn’t have a comm, no way of getting help. He looked around for something, anything, spotting a vial of what he was looking for, he quickly injected you with it, his heart pounding in his ears. He couldn’t lose you. He’d just finally found you.

\------------------------------------  
Steve and Natasha made their way through the base. Mission completed, although not as easily as either of them would have liked. “Your head isn’t here Cap. Get it together. We still have to get everything out of here before we can head back to the jet.”

Steve nodded, trying not to let his fear at the memory of your blood staining the snow affect his ability to continue the mission. 

“I don’t know what happened in Germany, but y/n loves you. So whatever you did to fuck it up, you’d better fix it. I let you have your chance with her. I meant it when I said they’d never find you if you hurt her. Don’t make me follow through on that threat Rogers. I’ll make your stint in the ice seem like a tropical vacation.”

Steve nodded again, shaking his head. “I don’t know what I did. She ran away and she was on the next flight out, I couldn’t even catch her before she left. We got back and got dragged out.”

Steve and Nat made their way back to the quinjet, everyone else had made it back. Clint was sitting in the pilot seat looking more than a little worse for the wear. The mouth of the jet closed, and Steve crumbled next to your still limp form. “Doll, you can’t leave me. Please come back.”

Your eyes fluttered and both Bucky and Steve stood over you protectively. A hand on your thigh kept you from sitting up. “I’m alright, let me up. Remember Steve, blood transfusion. Super soldier serum apparently helps with the whole getting shot thing. Seriously, let me up so you two can be alone. I need some air.”

You shove the two of them off of you and go to sit in the co-pilot’s seat beside Clint. “When are we gonna get back to the tower. I need a break. And a strong drink, maybe a sedative”

“About an hour. Try and get some sleep.” You curled up in the co-pilot’s chair, unwilling to move closer to the two. You were glad they had each other again, but it didn’t mean it didn’t still hurt to see the man you loved love someone else.

You kept the tears at bay, closing your eyes against the sunlight streaming through the window, wishing it was cloudy and grey, nothing like the sky refusing to match your mood to make you feel even worse about the situation.

You didn’t see the way that Bucky and Steve glanced at each other and then moved to sit on opposite sides of the jet. There was a palpable tension that could be felt by anyone, even if they didn’t have powers like yours. You also didn’t see the way they both kept a watchful eye on you as you slept the entire flight home, ready to act at a moment's notice.

You didn’t know it yet, but you’d just gained two protectors. They were going to have their work cut out for them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I know, it doesn't make it that much better, but we promise it will... for a little while... Let us know what you think! We love reading your comments and seeing your kudos.


	23. Going Hunting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We've missed you! Hope you enjoy!

“It’s like missing half of my soul. But I’m glad they found each other again. They’ll be happier this way.” You whispered to yourself blinking back tears as you finally escaped the team and made your way into your room. You didn’t hear Bucky outside your room and you certainly didn’t realize that he heard your tearful whispers. 

Bucky leaned his forehead against your door, a sense of loss flowing through him. He had never meant for this to get as complicated as it had. He’d sure as hell never meant to barge into your life like this. Irregardless of what he was beginning to feel for you. He squeezed his eyes closed and pushed away from the door, shoulders slumped as he tried to think about what he could do to fix the situation.

Bucky took a single step and froze when he saw Steve standing in the hallway. 

“You need to pull yourself together, Y/N.” You murmured to yourself. Both soldiers cocked their heads and listened as you continued to cry your heart out. “Let’s be honest here, you didn’t deserve either of them to begin with. Be grateful for the time you did have and . . . and learn to move on.”

Steve’s jaw ticked and he glanced at Bucky. “I think we need to talk.” He said.

Bucky’s eyes narrowed and he nodded, his fists curling at his sides.

Steve gestured with his thumb over his shoulder. “Let’s go somewhere private.”

Steve led Bucky down the hall to the empty common room on the floor he shared with you. He sat down on one of the couches, perched on the edge as he clasped his hands together. Bucky leaned against one of the walls and crossed arms over his chest. His eyes flickered around the room, taking in every entrance and exit as he waited for Steve to say what was on his mind. Every fiber of his being was screaming at him to go back to you and protect you. He didn’t trust these ‘Avengers’ anymore than he trusted HYDRA. You were his priority. Steve . . . Steve was . . . an unnecessary complication.

\---------------------------------

You were still in your room crying when you heard a rhythmic knock. Nat’s knock. You wiped your tears on your sleeve and opened the door. Nat walked in and pushed you down on the bed. “Whatever that idiot did, whatever those idiots did to hurt you. You’ve got to suck it up, Tony’s planning a party on Saturday, and I’m taking you out. You need a drink and a girl’s night.”

You groaned. “Nat, I nearly died today, I don’t really feel like peopling today.”

“Not up for discussion, let’s get you dressed.”

Nat moved to your closet, ignoring you as you blew your runny nose and prayed the red around your eyes would go away soon. She threw a very short, body conforming cobalt blue dress. It had one arm and a sexy little cut out near your throat. It was totally backless and just barely reached your midthigh. You looked at her skeptically. “Where did this come from? I know I didn’t buy this.”

“I thought you might need a new dress for girl’s night. Looks like tonight is a perfect chance to debut it. Here, wear these.” She passed you a pair of the highest heels you’d ever seen. Red rhinestones glittering under the overhead light. Nat did your hair and makeup, and by the time she was done, you looked like you could have walked right off the cover of Vogue from one of the “outfits inspired” sections.

“Let’s go.”

You walked with Nat out into the common area. You saw Bucky and Steve sitting on the couch, looking like they were deep in conversation. Natasha spoke for you. “See you later boys, I’m taking y/n out to forget about your dumbass.”

Steve looked up and Bucky’s eyes followed his as his jaw dropped. “You . . . You look gorgeous, Doll, but where’s the rest of it?”

Bucky’s jaw ticked, his eyes traveling up your body in a way that made you shiver before they met yours. You saw something dark and heated staring at you there.

You swallowed hard.

“That is all of it.” Nat said, rolling her eyes. “Now say goodbye, boys. We’re on the hunt tonight.”

She grabbed your hand before you could say anything else and pulled you out of the room.

She pulled you into the elevator and slammed the button for the lobby. Right before the doors slammed shut you heard Steve exclaim; “Wait . . . the hunt?!”

You almost smiled.

\---------------------------------

Steve and Bucky glanced at each other. “Let’s go.” Bucky ordered, pushing to his feet. 

Steve jumped to his feet too and raced after Bucky. “Where?” He asked.

Bucky threw a glance over his shoulder that clearly indicated that he thought Steve was an idiot, his jaw ticking. 

Steve swallowed hard. “Right.” He said, straightening his shoulders. “Let’s go get our girl.”

Bucky faltered a step at Steve’s words before he continued following you out of the tower. His heart beat heavily as he let the words tumble in his head. “Our girl.” It felt . . . right.

\--------------------------------------  
Natasha led you into a club with pulsing lights and music. She brought you a stiff drink and began pointing out prospects. “What about the guy over there. Dark hair, tight dark jeans. He’s cute and he’s looked over here twice already?” 

“I’m not sure Nat, I haven’t even formally broken up with Steve yet. I mean, I know it's coming, but still. Doesn’t it make me a slut if I even talk romantically with a guy before Steve ends things with me?”

Nat looked at you, a little confused. “Wait, what? Steve didn’t break it off? I thought that’s why you came running home from Germany?”

You shook your head. “I came home from Germany when we found Bucky again and I learned something about he and Steve that isn’t my place to tell.”

Natasha looked around the room, gathering her thoughts carefully. “Well you aren’t a slut and whatever those idiots did, they’re going to regret it. Let’s dance and help you forget about it for a while.”

She pulled you out onto the dance floor, the music made it easy to pulse, and you and Natasha began to dance close to one another. Soon, a tall man with blonde hair moved to join you, dancing close to you.

\---------------------------

Steve pushed to his feet, prepared to stomp over and rip you out of the man’s hands. Bucky grabbed his arms and pulled him back down. Steve glared at him. Bucky shook his head and pointed subtly at Nat who was watching you like a hawk. “Not yet.” He said simply.

Steve sighed but leaned back in his chair as he glared across the crowded dance floor. The two were silent for a long time as they watched you dance with the stranger who was clearly enjoying your dress in a way no gentleman ever should. 

“Why’d you come back?” Steve asked suddenly, needing a distraction.

Bucky’s jaw tensed and he played with the drink in front of him as he tried to gather his thoughts. The truth was . . . he didn’t know exactly why. Not really. He did know there was something about you that he couldn’t help but be willing to follow to the ends of the earth if it came down to it.

Bucky shrugged his shoulder. “She was hurt.” He said simply.

Steve glanced at his oldest friend subtly before he turned back to watch you carefully. Steve heard a lot more than those three words in the simple sentence. He heard the faintest echoes of someone he’d thought he’d lost seventy years ago. And he realized . . . the whole time he’d been looking for Bucky, Bucky had been watching the two of you.

“Thanks.” He said softly, keeping his eyes trained on you.

Bucky hesitated before he nodded once. The two of them lost in a sea of their own thoughts as they watched you try to forget them both. 

\---------------------------------

Natasha eyed the man dancing with you. He was no Steve, but the hair and his piercing blue eyes resembled him. She scanned the room again, and noticed a not so subtle set of super soldiers trying to stay hidden at a booth near the back. She eyed them, waiting for a moment when you weren’t paying attention to subtly threaten them with a gesture. They would not ruin this for you. She wouldn’t allow it. 

She nearly missed the blonde man’s hand sliding a little too far up your thigh. You caught his hand in a vice like grip. “No.”

\------------------------------------

Bucky was the one on his feet first this time. Steve barely had a second to scramble after him as Bucky pulled a knife from who knew where and advanced towards the man trying to feel you up.

They didn’t get very far when a flash of red was suddenly in front of them. Natasha put her hand on the Winter Soldier’s chest and pushed him backwards. “I don’t think so.” She seethed.

Bucky glanced at her once, assessed her, deemed her ‘not a threat’ and pushed forward again. “Buck! Stop!” Steve ordered behind him, pulling him to a stop.

Bucky glanced at him and shifted the knife in his hand, ready to slash at Steve if he didn’t let go before your voice rang out and broke him out of his trance.

“Try it again, cowboy, I’ll castrate you faster than I can castrate a bull that pisses me off. Your balls would make a great treat for one of the dogs on the farm.”

The man threw his hands in the air and immediately backed off but not before he took a chance to cuss you out first. Bucky took another step forward before Natasha got in his face again. “She’s a SPY, Barnes. She’s had worse. Now there’s nothing I can do if you want to stay and watch her try to fix that broken heart of hers, but I’ll be damned if I let you ruin this night for her. So sit in the corner and shut up or get out.”

She glanced between Steve and Bucky, making sure they both got the message before she turned and headed back to you. Steve sighed as he tugged on Bucky’s arm. “Come on, Buck. Let’s just . . . let’s just go back to the table.”

Bucky watched as Natasha wrapped an arm around your shoulders and led you back to the bar. Your shoulders slumped and you somehow looked even more miserable than you had when you’d left the tower.

What was left of Bucky’s heart broke. “No.” He said gruffly, putting the knife away as he clenched his fists.

“No?” Steve asked nervously, tensing for a fight.

Bucky shook his head and shoved out of Steve’s hands. “Let’s go back.” He said before he shoved out of the bar. Natasha was right. You could handle yourself. Besides, Bucky needed to get away from you for a minute. The surge of protectiveness he’d felt in that moment had alarmed him. He had been willing to kill anyone who got in his path if it meant protecting you. He needed to find somewhere quiet to hole up and think about things. 

He hadn’t expected someone like you in his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What are you guys thinking? We love your comments!


	24. No Strings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gala... Ultron... and two very pissed off super soldiers.

You giggled and hiccuped. “That was so FUN, Nat!” You squealed. One arm was wrapped around her shoulder and the other arm was waving around wildly. “I haven’t danced like that in YEARS.”

Natasha smirked as she hauled your drunken ass out of the elevator. 

Steve and Bucky glanced up from their seats on the couch and jumped to their feet immediately. “What the hell?” Steve demanded as he rushed to your side, taking your weight from Natasha.

Bucky stood frozen in the middle of the room. His arms were crossed over his chest and he had a blank expression plastered to his face. 

Natasha smirked at him. “What? We had a girl’s night. Traditionally that involves booze.”

Steve glared over your head at the spy. “Then why aren’t you drunk?” He accused.

Natasha glanced at him pointedly. “You would prefer that neither of us had a clear head?” She asked saucily. “Fine. Next time I’ll drink too.”

Steve scooped you up into his arms like a child. “No thanks, I’d prefer at least one of you with your wits about you. God only knows what could happen if you were both this drunk.”

Bucky stood off to himself, watching the exchange carefully, something was familiar about the redhead. He couldn’t quite place it, but he knew her. Steve carried you into your room as you sang loudly to yourself. “My broken heart, my broken heart.” You slurred your words, but it still broke him to know that he’d managed to hurt you.

Steve placed you in your bed. Bucky peeked in the doorway, feeling like he was intruding on a very private moment, but he couldn’t look away. Steve untangled your arms from his neck, removed your shoes and tucked you into bed. He smoothed some stray hair out of your face, trying to avoid shedding tears over the broken look in your eyes. You hugged a pillow to your chest and buried your face in it with a sob. “Please don’t leave.” You whispered softly. 

Steve turned but stopped in his tracks. He turned around and in two quick strides was back at your side. “I’m not going anywhere.”

Bucky entered the room in time to hear you whisper. “What if I want you both?”

Steve’s jaw ticked as he fought from looking over at Bucky. Eventually though, the urge became too great and he looked up. Tears swam in Bucky’s eyes as the two men stared at each other for a long time. Eventually, Steve sighed and turned to you. “We’ll talk about it in the morning, okay?” He leaned down to kiss the top of your head.

More tears streamed down your face, but you didn’t fight him this time as Steve pushed to his feet again and left the room, closing the door behind him.

\------------------------------------

You stumbled out of your room the next morning, sunglasses askew on your face as you looked for coffee. You prayed that today had been one of the rare days that Steve had actually felt like making a cup before his morning run.

You stumbled, half-blind, to the kitchen and felt around the counter, looking for the coffee pot. 

You blamed your hangover for your reflexes not being what they usually were.

“Hi.” The voice was low and took you by surprise. 

You froze.

You turned around slowly. Bucky was sitting awkwardly at the bar, staring down at his hands as though he was afraid to look at you. You swallowed hard. 

“Hi.” You said back. You weren’t sure why you suddenly had an urge to run far, far away. 

Bucky glanced at you quickly and then back down again. “There’s coffee if you want some.”

You nodded and turned back to the counter, looking for the pot. “Yeah. Thanks.”

You made your cup and slowly walked back to your room. You just weren’t ready to talk yet. You could feel the uncertainty flowing off of him in waves. It was nearly enough to drown you. You hung your head, and willed your pounding headache away. You’d just sat down at the desk in your room when you heard a soft knock. “Doll?” You heard Steve’s uncertain voice. “Are you in here?”

You answered in the affirmative and Steve stepped into the room carrying a bag from your favorite cafe down the road. “I figured you’d need food. Have you taken anything for that headache yet?”

You shook your head, gratefully accepting the bag. Steve looked in the medicine cabinet in your room and came back with a glass of water and two little white pills. You took them and Steve sat beside you. “I’ll be right back. If you need me, I’ll be out in the kitchen, okay?” He looked hesitant. You couldn’t read the jumbled mess of emotions that he was feeling and it made you uneasy.

You nodded slowly, your brow furrowed. Steve swallowed uneasily and left the room. 

Steve shut the door behind him and walked into the kitchen where Bucky was still sitting, staring at his hands. Steve sighed. He felt as though we was stuck in between the two of you. It was clear that Bucky had feelings for you and after last night? It was clear that you had feelings for Bucky too. Steve swallowed hard and leaned against the counter across from Bucky.

“You know . . . I’ll step back.” He said softly. “You . . . you two can be together. I won’t get in the way.”

Bucky glanced up at him with a critical eye. “What?” 

Steve swallowed and started again. “You two . . . you care about her.”

Bucky didn’t say anything.

“You can be with her. It’s okay.”

Bucky heaved a sigh and seemed to slump in on himself. Steve couldn’t figure out what that meant. “I’m serious Buck. I . . . I’ve only ever wanted you to be happy. Her too.”

“I’m not taking your girl Steve. You’ve always been the better of the two of us. I’m too damaged. Especially now. Even if she wasn’t your girl, what can I offer her. I’m broken beyond repair. I have so much blood on my hands, my ledger is so far in the red I could never dig my way out.”

You heard them talking, and stepped out into the room, the bag with your breakfast in hand. “Could we maybe include the girl you’re trying to give away in the conversation?” You quipped sarcastically.

“What if I don’t want to choose. What if I want both?”

Steve looks at Bucky and then looks back at you. “That’s not how this works.”

“Says who?”

Bucky and Steve look a little alarmed. “Its just not accepted. Same way me being with Bucky won’t be accepted.”

“Steve, you’re in the 21st century, things are different now. We can all be together. It's not exactly normal, but it's not going to get us hurt. Besides it wasn’t acceptable for you two to be together in the forties and that didn’t stop you then. Why should it stop you now?” You were feeling braver, bolstered by the feelings of love you were getting from both of them.

Natasha steps in and looks at the three of you. “Oh, did I step on your moment? Y/n, time to get ready for Tony’s party, I have your dress and as hungover as you are, I’m going to need all the time I can get! Move it.”

Nat ushers you into your room and gets to work. Your hair is pinned into an impossibly elaborate updo and she puts your makeup on and you can barely recognize yourself in the mirror. Finally, you slip on your dress. The dress hugged your body without clinging, a shiny silver with thousands of silver rhinestones and beads, fading into reds and blues near the bottom. The off the shoulder sleeves made you feel like a princess. You slipped on a pair of red and blue rhinestone pumps and stepped back into the common area. 

The boys were nowhere to be seen, so you rode the elevator up to the top floor and entered the party on your own. Thor saw you first, picking you up and spinning you around. “Lady Y/N, you look as lovely as the towers of Asguard!”

You giggled and smiled up at him. “Have you seen Steve?” 

“Ah yes, he’s over there with some friends of his, trading war stories!”

You looked over and spotted him, reminiscing with friends, Bucky sat silently beside him, seeming to soak up the information. You made your way over. “Hi boys, mind if I join you?”

They looked at your slack-jawed. “Doll, you look gorgeous.” Steve smiled widely as he introduced you to his friends. Bucky made room for you between the two of them. Steve went back to trading stories with his friends, and Bucky found himself with his leg pressed up against yours. He looked stunning in a black tuxedo with a red tie. He wore a glove to cover his metal arm, and he was careful to keep it away from you, afraid that he’d hurt you. You reached over and grabbed his gloved hand softly, pulling his hand into your lap. You leaned over and whispered in his ear. “I’m not afraid of you.”

Bucky pulls his hand away. “I’m no good Doll, you should know that by now.”

“You saved my life. You saved Steve’s life. I’m pretty sure you’re one of the good ones. Besides, empath remember? I can read you better than you can read yourself.”

“Yeah? What am I feeling now?”

You concentrated for a moment, “hesitancy, smugness, a little horny and a lot afraid.”

Bucky chokes on his drink with wide eyes. “Do you kiss your mama with that mouth?”

Steve looked over, “Language.”

You stuck your tongue out at Steve and turned back to Bucky. “No, but I’d kiss you with it.”

Bucky blushed crimson and Steve lost his train of thought looking at the two of you. You took your chance and kissed Bucky’s cheek, then turned and captured Steve’s mouth in a kiss that you hadn’t been sure you’d ever have the chance to give him again. The group of Howling Commandos catcalled and whistled. 

Bucky stands and offers her a hand. “Dance with me?”

You smiled feeling the little green eyed jealousy monster wash over him. “You feel like you’re missing out Sergeant?”

“Something like that.”

He leads you out onto the dance floor with a flourish, and before you know it you’re gliding along the floor like you’d danced with him for a thousand lifetimes. Your dress glittered beneath the lights and all eyes turned to you as you smiled up at Bucky with love in your eyes.

Natasha was watching from the sidelines, her smile and expression unreadable. You didn’t quite know what she was thinking, but your attention was diverted when Tony cut in. “Can I borrow Boots here for a moment?”

Bucky looked surprised, but noticing your smile gently placed your hand in Tony’s. “I’ll be right over there with Steve, have fun.”

You danced with your teammates and soon, the party wound down until it was just the Avengers sitting around the couches talking and reminiscing. Everyone gathered around Thor’s hammer with drinks in hand and attempted to lift it. Tony got up to try. “I will be re-instituting Prima Nocta” he couldn’t lift the hammer and soon the whole team was in on it.

You stood up for your turn, and realized very quickly that the hammer would in fact be able to be lifted by you. Your eyes widened a little but you pretended it was just too heavy, that was a topic you really didn’t feel like talking about. 

Steve tried next, and the hammer moved slightly, but he just couldn’t quite lift it. Thor flipped the hammer in his hand easily. “It’s simple really, you are all not worthy.” Thor met your eyes, you knew that he saw you fake being unable to move the hammer. You knew that was a discussion you’d have to have later. Steve moved to retake his place at your side when you all heard a metallic screech. 

“Worthy... No... How could you be worthy? You're all killers.” one of the Legion suits said in a creepy voice. You reached under your dress to pull out the gun you’d holstered there. Steve looked at you surprised, and Bucky revealed a gun that he’d been hiding as well.

“We’re going to talk about where you had that stashed later.” Tony said with raised eyebrows. 

“Oh wouldn’t you like to know. Natasha taught me well.”

“Stark.” Steve gritted out.

“JARVIS?” Tony called with no response.

“I'm sorry, I was asleep. Or...I was a-dream?” the robot spoke seeming almost confused. 

“Reboot, Legionnaire OS, we got a buggy suit.” Tony tapped his Starkphone.

“There was a terrible noise...and I was tangled in... in...strings. I had to kill the other guy. He was a good guy.” the suit said. 

“You killed someone?” Steve said and he and Bucky moved to stand in front of you.

“What have I said about the overprotective bullshit Rogers? Move.”

You stepped around him. Glaring at the both of them. “Tony, this is your tech, what the hell is going on?”

“Wouldn't have been my first call. But, down in the real world we're faced with ugly choices.” Ultron groaned

“Who sent you?” Thor boomed.

Tony’s voice played through the speaker of the suit. “I see a suit of armor around the world".

And all hell broke loose. The robot attacked, you leveled your gun and let off a shot, attempting to disable it before it could hurt anyone else. More of the Iron Legion robots begin to attack. Tony attempts to shut them down, but without JARVIS, its a slow process, and the odds are getting slimmer that you’ll all make it out. You see one of the robots with the scepter. “Thor, the scepter!”

Steve finally manages to get his shield and Bucky stands at your back, ready to defend you or die trying. Steve makes his way back towards you and you both manage to take out several suits. Steve’s shield disables the final suit and you can hear Ultron’s voice singing “I’ve got no strings to hold me down…” 

Steve looks you over for injuries, glaring at Tony, and you can feel Steve and Bucky’s downright murderous anger. “Alright boys, chill out. I’m sure Tony has an explanation for why we were all just attacked by his pet robot.”

Steve and Bucky turn and glare at Tony. “He’d better.”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We love hearing your thoughts! How do you think the reader reacts? Let us know!


	25. Til the End of The Line

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They finally talk!

Steve and Bucky pull you down to your floor. Stopping in your room, Steve turns you around, looking for injuries. You can feel the anxiety rolling off of him and Bucky. You groan, you need to change into clothing you can fight in and get back up there. You turn and head to the closet and feel a hand that you are certain isn’t Steve’s on your shoulder. You use his leverage against him and flip him over your shoulder. “I’m not a damsel in distress. I don’t need you to save me.” You stamp your foot.

His eyes are wide and Steve chuckles. “Would you believe that she’s done that to me too?”

You unzip the dress and it pools at your feet. Steve and Bucky look at each other and quickly turn around. Covering their eyes. You slip on an Iron Man shirt just to spite them and black leatherette leggings, trading your heels for red tennis shoes. You check yourself over, and finding nothing more than what would amount to bruises, you stepped out of the closet and nearly snorted when you saw both men turned around covering their eyes. 

“You can turn around you know. Both of you have seen me without clothes on. This isn’t really any different.”

“That was on a mission. This is different, doll.”

“Your horniness is a little overpowering Barnes, care to tone it down a little.”

“Yeah Barnes, knock it off.”

“Stevie, dear, you’re worse. You’re hornier than a cow dog who smell a bitch in heat down at the other end of the pasture.”

They both turn around, remarks fresh on their tongues and then they notice her shirt. “Iron Man really?” Steve picks his jaw up off the floor. “Tony creates a murder bot and you wear his shirt?”

“I mean, I could take it off?” You go to remove the offending shirt and they both lunge to stop you.

“No, no, it’s all good, doll, keep your damn clothes on.” Bucky rushes.

“Steve, Bucky said a bad language word.”

Steve rolls his eyes.

“Now, are we going to have that conversation you’ve both been avoiding or not?”

“I think Tony needs us upstairs, can it wait?” Steve said, obviously trying to escape.

“Steve’s right, missions are important.”

“And I’m not?”

Both men turned and stopped in their tracks. You sat on the bed with your legs folded like a child, arms crossed. “I may heal faster because of you Steve, but I’m not invincible. We could go out there and I could die. You know this better than anyone. So if you have anything to say, now would be the time.”

Steve sighs and walks over to the chair you’d sat in earlier. “You’re right. Buck? Are you staying? I think this really involves you too.”

Bucky nods. “I’m with you til the end of the line.”

You nod, “Have you thought any on what I said? I don’t want to lose either of you. And I don’t want to be the reason that you two aren’t together.”

Bucky looks at the two of them, sighing. “Let’s take it one day at a time. I’m willing to give this a shot if you are.” He looks at Steve who nods.

“I’m with you both til the end of the line.”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Your comments and kudos make our day. We hope you enjoyed the updates, let us know what you think!


	26. Favors Returned

You stormed into the room. “You egotistical pig! You didn’t bother to think about it at all did you? You went messing with something that you knew. YOU KNEW. You had no business messing with. And why? So you could “save the world?” Well, guess what? You screwed the pooch so now you need to take it like a big boy and figure out how to fix it.”

Tony visibly shrank. You turned to Natasha. “How bad is the damage?”

Steve and Bucky flanked you to either side as you listened to Natasha give an update. It was all gone. All of the digital files. Everything you had. You were going to have to start from scratch.

“What about Mr. America’s tree-killing factory downstairs?”

“What? I don’t trust these new computers just yet.” Steve nearly whines defensively.

The team makes their way downstairs to look for the files. You glare at Tony and roll your eyes.

Maria walks into the room as the team gets settled around the table, looking at the files Steve had brought up from your apartment. “What have you got?” Steve asked as he spotted her across the way.

“Nothing good.” She admitted, holding out a tablet. “ULTRON killed Strucker.” You moved to stand by Steve as he took the tablet from Hill. The grotesque murder scene was not something you wanted to look at first thing in the morning. Especially on an empty stomach. You held your stomach as you moved away, ignoring Bucky’s concerned gaze as he watched you closely.

Tony leaned over Steve’s shoulder and Steve slammed the tablet against his chest. “He did a Banksy on the crime scene. Just for us. Almost makes his old man proud.”

Every eye in the room turned to glare at him and Tony held up his hands defensively. “I said almost.”

You rolled your eyes and turned back to the files. “Strucker must have known something ULTRON wanted us to miss.” You pointed out.

Steve glanced at you and nodded. “So we look for known associates. People he might have come in contact with. If ULTRON is picking off Strucker’s network . . .”

“It could lead us to ULTRON.” You finished.

The team turned and dug into the files. Bucky pushed into the shadows, preferring to keep an eye on the room as the rest of you worked. His jaw ticked as he watched you closely. A few scrapes and bruises were standing out on your skin that bothered him more than they should. You were healing. He knew that. Didn’t mean that he had to like that you’d gotten hurt in the first place. He kept a watchful eye on the room, hand on his gun in case ULTRON decided to pay another visit.

Steve glanced at Bucky a few times before he turned his attention back to his work. He knew exactly what Bucky was doing and was grateful for it. He just wished they had more time to finish the discussion the three of you had started earlier. 

“I know that guy,” Tony said, interrupting Steve’s thoughts.

Steve turned to glare at Tony.

“What? Meetups. Conventions. You meet people. I never sold him anything.” Tony turned back to the file. “Ulysses Klaue. Operates off the African coast. Black market arms.”

Thor glanced at the file over Tony’s shoulder. “What’s that?” He asked, pointing at a mark.

“I don’t know? A tattoo?”

“No. That’s a tattoo. THAT is a brand.”

Bruce took the file and ran it through the computer. “He’s writing. African dialect. Means ‘thief’.”

“What dialect?” Steve asked.

“Wakandan.”

Tony, Steve, and Bucky made eye contact and the tension in the room suddenly skyrocketed. You clutched at your chest and struggled to breathe as a sense of urgency flooded your veins. “Care to clue us in?” Natasha asked, glancing at you worriedly.

“Wakanda. It’s a secret. Practically a myth.” Tony finally said.

“What’s so special about it then?” Clint asked.

“The strongest metal on earth comes out of it,” Steve said. All eyes turned simultaneously to Steve’s shield which was propped up against the wall.

Before you knew it, you were suiting up in your room alongside Steve and Bucky. The tension was palpable as you turned and asked Steve to zip you up. “Doll, you know you don’t have to go right?”

“Who would keep you two from doing something stupid then?”

The boys shook their heads and followed you as you headed to the quinjet. You just hoped that you’d all make it out of this in one piece. You didn’t want whatever this was to end before it had a chance to start. 

\---------------

“What?! I’m not…!” Tony watched as Ultron grabbed Klaue by the arm. “I’m not. Do you think I’m one of Stark’s puppets, his hollow men? I mean look at me, do I look like Iron Man? Stark is nothing! Ultron rips Klaue’s arm off and pauses. “I’m sorry. I saw… Ooh, I’m sure that’s going to be okay. I’m sorry, it’s just I don’t understand. Don’t compare me with Stark! He’s a sickness!”

Tony stepped forward “Ahh, Junior. You’re going to break your old man’s heart.” Steve and Thor position themselves behind Tony while Bucky stays at your side, unwilling to leave you, still hovering. 

“If I have to.”

“We don’t have to break anything.” Thor boomed.

“Clearly you’ve never made an omelet.” Ultron quipped.

“He beat me by one second.” Tony couldn’t help himself.

“Ah, this is funny, Mr. Stark. It’s what, comfortable? Like old times?” Pietro taunted.

“This was never my life.”

Steve looked over at the twins. “You two can still walk away from this.” He glances at you, willing you to run before the fight gets bloody. You can feel his anxiety rubbing off on you, feeling like a tidal wave of pressure in your head. 

“Oh, we will.” The woman said as her hands began to glow.

“I know you’ve suffered.” Steve tried to de-escalate the tension in the room, all while eyeing you warily, hoping that you’ll get the hint and get out.

“Uuughh! Captain America. God’s righteous man, pretending you could live without a war. I can’t physically throw up in my mouth, but…”

“If you believe in peace, then let us keep it.” Thor interrupted.

“I think you’re confusing peace with quiet.”

“Yuh-huh. What’s the Vibranium for?”

“I’m glad you asked that because I wanted to take this time to explain my evil plan!”

Suddenly the room filled with robots from the Iron Legions. Tony attacked Ultron, and the fight begins in earnest. You drew your weapon and began to shoot at the robots. 

Bucky jumped in front of you, trying to provide you cover as he yelled at you to get out. “I’m not leaving!” You grunted, dodging a robot as it swiped at you.

“Damn it, doll!”

“Language!” You quipped sarcastically as you tucked and rolled out of the way of an oncoming bot. 

Bucky grumbled as he followed after you.

“The girl tried to warp my mind. Take special care. I doubt a mortal could withstand her advances. Luckily . . . I am mighty . . .” Thor trailed off.

“Thor?!” You called into the comms.

A weird sensation washed through you and you doubled over.

Bucky was by your side in the next instant. You waved him off. “I’m fine. Go help Steve!” You said, pointing in the direction where Steve had just crumpled.

Bucky glanced from Steve to you and back again as though he wasn’t sure what to do. “GO!” You ordered more firmly.

Bucky cursed under his breath but took off.

The strange feeling washed through you again and you collapsed to the ground. You breathed deeply, trying to ground yourself and then . . . and then . . .

Suddenly, you found yourself on top of the Triskellion. There was a button in front of you. “You’ve gotta push the button. Baby, you’ve gotta push it.”

“No, no, no, no, no.” You murmured, stepping back from the console. “This can’t be happening again.”

“Baby, push the button.” 

An invisible force grabbed you and pulled you towards the button. You thrashed and screamed and desperately tried to pull out of its grip. “NO!” You screamed.

  
  


Bucky heard you scream and spun around. He watched you writhe on the ground and screamed your name as he turned back to you, Steve forgotten.

In between one step and the next, Bucky was suddenly standing in the middle of an empty road. The smoking remains of a crashed car sat in front of him. Two dead bodies pulled halfway out of it. 

Bucky swallowed hard. He remembered this place.

He remembered what he’d done.

What he’d never wanted to have to do.

A voice rang out behind him, startling him. “You killed them.”

Bucky spun around and saw a woman with red hair eyeing him curiously. “You killed Tony Stark’s parents.”

Bucky’s hands squeezed at his sides. “I didn’t want to.”

“But you did. You brought me and my brother justice.”

Bucky tried shaking his head, but the woman beat him to it. She stepped closer to him, her hands glowing read. “I will help you.” She said as she reached out to touch her forehead. “You helped me, I will help you.”

Red flashed across his vision, and Bucky didn’t remember anything else.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you think? Let us know!


	27. The Aftermath

Bucky woke with a pounding headache but that weighted sensation he’d gotten so used to was nowhere to be found. He felt . . . free.

A quiet sobbing drew his attention across the jet and he saw you shaking almost uncontrollably as Steve held you tightly in his arms. Bucky was immediately on his feet as he rushed to your side. “What happened?” He asked softly, as he wrestled you out of Steve’s arms. It was an almost impossible task as Steve was holding you so tightly, bruises were forming on your arms.

Eventually, Bucky managed to pry you out of Steve’s arms. Steve just shook his head, unable to say anything, as Bucky folded his own body over yours. Bucky reached out and took one of Steve’s hands in his, squeezing it softly. 

“Stevie?”

Steve withdrew his hand and folded his legs up to his chest, burying his own face in his knees. Bucky sighed and turned back to you, holding you closely as he murmured words of reassurance and pleaded with you to come back to him.

\---------------------------------------------

Your shaking had all but stopped as Clint slowly landed the jet in the middle of nowhere. You were still entirely unresponsive and it was starting to scare Bucky.

As the ramp lowered and Clint moved to help Natasha out of the jet; Bucky stood with you in his arms. Steve glanced over at the two of you with a furrowed brow. Bucky glanced at him, ready to hand you over to Steve, but Steve turned and walked away.

Bucky carried you out of the jet. 

“Where are we?” Thor asked.

“Safe house.” Tony responded.

“Let’s hope.” Clint teased. He opened the front door of the farmhouse he’d landed at and called inside. “Honey? I’m home!”

Bucky clutched you tighter to himself as he glanced at the treeline surrounding the house. It seemed safe. True. But most things did, till they weren’t.

Steve didn’t once glance back at the two of you.

Bucky followed the rest of the team into the house just as a woman turned the corner. “This is an . . . agent.” Tony said awkwardly.

Two sets of tiny feet came pounding down the hall and two children ran into view. “These are smaller agents.” Tony said.

Bucky rolled his eyes.

“Guys, this is Laura.” Clint said. 

The woman looked up. “I know all your names.” She said, a little awe-struck.

Bucky smiled stiffly as he stepped forward. “Do you have a private room?” He asked softly.

Laura glanced from him to your glazed over expression in his arms and nodded immediately. “First door at the top of the stairs. All yours. Let me know if you need anything.” She said.

Bucky nodded his thanks and glanced at Steve to see if he would follow before he took you and headed upstairs. Alone.

Bucky opened the door and laid you down on the bed. The instant your back hit the mattress, you curled in on yourself and you started sobbing again. Bucky felt at a loss on how to help you. He awkwardly puttered around you before the faintest of memories tugged at him. A girl named Rebecca and what he’d do to help her when she cried . . . 

Bucky turned you slightly until he could reach your boots and he started untying the laces before he slipped them off your feet. Then he pulled the blanket over you. He slipped off his own shoes before he climbed into bed beside you. He pulled you towards him, leaning your head against his chest as he stroked your back. “Come on, doll. Don’t do this to me. There’s nothing’ up in here, remember? I got nothin’ to go on. How can I help you without any know-how?”

You managed a choked chuckle. 

Bucky smiled a small smile. “What happened, doll?” He asked softly.

You took a shuddering breath. “I . . .” You took a deep breath and had to start again. “I had to push the button again.” You whispered.

Bucky’s brow furrowed in confusion. You could feel the confusion radiating off of him and you swallowed hard before you explained. “When . . . when SHIELD fell . . . when you dragged Steve to the beach . . .”

It was Bucky’s turn to swallow hard. “I remember.” He murmured stiffly.

“I was the one that fired the weapons. I . . . I was the reason Steve almost didn’t make it. That YOU almost didn’t make it.”

You burst into sobs again and Bucky’s heart broke for you.

He stroked your hair as he held you tightly to his chest. He didn’t know what to say, and really, there was nothing he could do to fix the pain you were feeling. Well . . . that wasn’t entirely true.

“Shhh.” He whispered. “Just . . . just go to sleep, doll. You’ll feel better. I promise.” 

You nodded miserably and curled tighter into yourself while you let the pain of the past few hours wash over you. Bucky leaned down and kissed the top of your head. You were so lost in a sea of your own thoughts, you didn’t feel anything as he slipped away.

Bucky waited until he got to the hallway and stomped down the stairs. “Where’s Steve?” He growled as he passed Clint on the stairs. Clint gestured outside with his thumb.

Bucky’s jaw clenched as he stormed out of the house. “Hey asshole!” He called.

Steve turned around, his eyes still seem almost glossed over. He was lost deep in thought. “Huh?” 

“You’re acting like a damn punk. Your girl is in there crying because of something we both had a part in, and the person she needs the most isn’t there. Stop acting like a whimpering child and go inside.” Bucky shoves Steve’s shoulders. “Wake up, whatever you saw in your head can wait. She needs you.”

Steve shook his head. “I . . . I can’t Buck, I just can’t.” 

“You sure as fuck can. Get up, walk your spangly ass in there. She’s upstairs. Or stand here and I’ll kick your ass until you do. Your pick. You didn’t protect her in Germany. You didn’t protect her in Sokovia, but you’re damn sure going to get your head out of your ass and protect her here. If you won’t, I will.”

Steve stumbled back and couldn’t help but see red as his best friend, his lover shoved him. He brought his hands up and shoved Bucky backwards. “You don’t know what I saw. You don’t know. I didn’t know she was going to run, and I sure as hell didn’t know that she was going to get hurt on that mission. I’d have taken the bullet for her if I did. You should know that. I took more than one for you.”

Bucky shook his head. “Doesn’t mean a damn if you don’t do it when it counts.” He argued. A dagger to the heart would have hurt less as memories of Bucky falling from a train flashed through Steve’s head. 

He swallowed hard. “That’s not fair.” He tried to argue.

Bucky stood his ground and gestured with his chin towards the house. “You think any of this is fair to her?” He asked.

Steve stared at the ground, his shoulders slumping as pain ripped through him. The weight of the world was on his shoulders but he had so much more to lose this time around. He squeezed his eyes shut and made his choice.

He shook his head slowly and Bucky took a threatening step towards him. 

Steve held up his hands and backed away. “Just wait.” He said. “Bucky . . . I . . . I shouldn’t be the one up there.”

Bucky growled and took another step forward.

“Did she stutter when she said she wanted both of us? Or were you just not listening? Don’t make choices for her. Believe me. Having all the choices made for you only makes you feel helpless and alone. She doesn’t deserve that.” Bucky’s voice got quieter as he thought of his time with HYDRA. 

Steve sat on the ground with his head in his hands. The vision from the previous fight still fresh in his mind. “Buck, I don’t know what to do.”

Bucky sighed and reached over, slapping a hand on Steve’s shoulder. “You do what you promised her you’d do. You take it one step at a time.”

Steve nodded slowly and turned once more to look up at the house. He couldn’t deny that his heart was pulling him towards you. 

He took a step.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All aboard the angst train! What do you think? Where do you think this is headed? We want your feedback! Thank you for sticking with us!


	28. Turning Point

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The tables start turning against ULTRON and maybe towards you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, just a quick housekeeping update; we'll only be updating once a week for the next few weeks, but with any luck, there will more updates per week once the new year hits.
> 
> Thanks for sticking with us! :D

You saw that damned button. You saw it again and again. Red, screaming at you, everything in you, the very fibre of your being screamed at your not to push it. You fought, but it wasn’t enough. Nothing you did could stop you from pushing that damn button over and over again. You screamed and thrashed, pleading with anyone who was listening to stop it, but you couldn’t stop.

“Baby, you have to press the button.”

You heard the screams.

You saw Steve’s body fall out of the air and hit the water in cinematic detail. His body falling like a ragdoll dropped from the arms of a sleeping child.

You felt the hopelessness rip through your body and you couldn’t help but scream.

“Doll! Doll! Come back to us! Come back!”

Your eyes flew open and you found your limbs restrained against something firm as you cried out in horror.

A set of hands ran through your hair soothingly as another set of hands cupped your face. “You’re here. You’re safe.”

“You . . . you were dead . . . I killed you . . .” You sobbed against Steve’s chest as you crumpled into him clutching his shirt in your hands like a lifeline.

“No, sweetheart. No you didn’t. I’m here. I’m right here with you.” Steve murmured, rocking you gently. He glanced over your head at Bucky’s wide eyes. He could see the same adrenaline rushing through Bucky’s veins that was rushing through his own. He’d barely taken a single step into the bedroom when a wave of pure terror seemed to shoot out of you, engulfing them both. Bucky’s eyes darkened as his other half threatened to take over and Steve flung a hand out, placing it against Bucky’s chest, willing him to calm.

“You’re okay.” Steve repeated, not just talking to you anymore. “You’re with me. You’re safe. I’m safe. Bucky is safe.” 

Steve looked pointedly at Bucky and gently patted the other side of you. Bucky settled onto the bed, tucking you against him, pulling Steve close too. They could hear your heartbeat begin to slow as the glaze that had seemed to cover your eyes for the majority of the time they’d been at the Barton’s farm began to recede. Something about the two men holding you and reassuring you was finally breaking through. Tears ran down your face as the men sandwiched you between them, cocooning you in warmth and giving you a feeling of safety that you hadn’t had since you were a child. 

“I...I’m sorry…” You cried softly. They shushed you softly and ran soft fingers through your hair, doing everything they could do to calm you. 

The next several days were much of the same, you were never far from the two, and most of the day, one or the other of them was touching you in some way. A hand on your shoulder, a touch to the small of your back as you walked, a hand on your knee under the table. You needed them, and although you didn’t know it yet, they needed you just as much. 

All good things came to an end though, and with the arrival of Fury, everything had to change.

The team gathered in the dining room for dinner and Fury slid into place at the table. “Ultron took you folks out of play to buy himself time. My contacts all say he's building something. The amount of Vibranium he made off with, I don't think it's just one thing.” He said.

“What about ULTRON himself?” Steve asked, squeezing your knee under the table. You twirled a knife in your hands unconsciously, unaware of the heated gaze Bucky was sending in your direction. You were too focused on the feeling rushing through you as you focused in on Director Fury. There was something else. Something he wasn’t saying . . . 

Fury nodded. “Ah. He's easy to track, he's everywhere. Guy's multiplying than we can track. Still doesn't help us get an angle on any of his plans though.” 

“He still after the launch codes?” You asked, cocking your head as you tried to figure Fury out.

Fury glanced at you and there was something in his eyes that made you lean forward. “He’s not making any headway.” Fury noted.

Tony scoffed. “Why not?” 

“We have a mutual friend.”

“I don’t buy it.” Tony said, chucking a dart at Clint’s dartboard. “No one’s on our side for this one.”

Bucky scoffed. “Who’s fault is that?” He asked under his breath. 

You shot him a dirty look. He shrugged a shoulder but didn’t look all that repentant.

Fury shrugged a shoulder. “I’ve contacted friends at Nexus about it. They don’t seem any wiser than we do.”

Tony rubbed his face. “I once hacked Nexus in high school on a dare. I can look into it. But I’ll need to be on site.”

Nat sighed. “Well this is good times boss, but I was hoping when I saw you here that you’d have more for us.”

“I do. I have all of you. Back in the day I had eyes and ears everywhere. Now it’s just you. But I’ve seen you go against worse odds before and win. Now, are you going to sit here and tell me that this is it? It’s over? This ULTRON just walked into your house like he owned the place. What are you going to do about it?”

“Well, I guess I’m gonna have to do what mama always said. ‘Kick ass and take names.’ I’m not about to let a damn robot beat me. Let’s take this one out into the pasture and shoot it.” You drawled.

There was a shocked silence that echoed around the kitchen for a long minute before Clint slapped his knees and pointed at you. “Sounds like a plan to me.” He said.

Fury smirked at you. “Alright, Cap’. It’s your team now. What are you gonna do?”

Steve stared at the table for a minute before he slipped on the metaphorical mask you knew so well. You felt a sense of pride and longing coming from Bucky and you shared a quiet smile with him before you turned your attention to Steve.

“We need to split up. Banner, you’re sure that ULTRON’s going to pay a visit to Cho?”

Bruce nodded. “Evolutionarily speaking, building a new body with her cradle is the next step.”

Steve nodded. “Clint, Nat, and I will go check on Helen. Bucky, you and Tony go to Nexus, Tony will need back up if ULTRON decides to attack. Y/N, I need you back at the tower . . .”

“Like hell.” You interrupted, folding your arms over your chest. Steve seemed to have expected your outburst but he didn’t seem to expect Bucky’s.

“She’s not goin’ alone. She goes with you, Stevie.”

“Buck . . .”

“She goes with you or she goes with me. End of story.”

You were going to have to talk to Bucky about the bodyguard routine later, but for right now, it suited your purposes. You turned to Steve and quirked an eyebrow.

Steve stared between the two of you but knew when he was beat. He sighed, wanting you as far from this as possible but knowing it was a losing battle. “Fine. Y/N. You’re with me. Bruce, you go with Tony and Buck. See what you can’t salvage.

Bruce nodded.

“We do this fast. Don’t give him a chance to see us coming. We leave first thing tomorrow.” 

Everyone nodded and pushed away from the table to begin prepping for the mission.

Steve waited until the room cleared out and then he stalked towards you and grabbed your bicep, pulling you out of the room.

You ripped your arm out of Steve’s grasp, surprising him a little with the motion. “I’m not a doll for you to shove around Steve. What the hell is your problem?”

“I can’t have you get hurt. I know you’re capable and I know that you’re a strong woman. Y/N, I can’t lose you.”

“You’re not going to convince me to stay behind Steve, you know damn good and well that I can handle myself out there. Stop treating me like a child.”

You stormed out of the room in search of Bucky. At least one of the men in your life seemed to think you were capable of caring for yourself even if he wanted to be right beside you while you did it.

Bucky was standing not that far away, doing his best not to eavesdrop but he couldn’t seem to help it when you were involved. You grabbed his hand and pulled him outside, ignoring the stares of the rest of the team as you stomped past them.

You walked in silence for a long moment before Bucky dared speak. “He’s just . . .” He stared.

You shook your head. “You know what I love about the stars?” You interrupted, dropping his hand so you could cross your arms over your chest. You threw your head back and smiled as you glanced up at the night sky. You let a feeling of peace seep out of you and permeate the air around you and Bucky.

Bucky had never thought you looked so beautiful. “What?” He asked softly, coming up behind you to wrap his arms around your waist and glance up at the stars with you.

“They never change.” You said. “Be it here in the middle of nowhere with a thousand and one things trying to kill us, or be it home in Texas. They’re always there.”

Bucky’s hands tightened around your waist at the reminder of what was out there, threatening you and you felt a pang of protectiveness wash through him. 

“You can’t stop the earth from spinning, Buck.” You whispered. “Just like you can’t stop the stars from shining. I’ll be okay.”

Bucky sighed and bent his head forward. He pressed a lingering kiss to your forehead. “Just please don’t be like Steve.” He whispered. “Please don’t do anything stupid . . . I can’t . . .”

You felt the panic well up in him and you reached up a hand to stroke his face gently. “I’ll be okay.” You said again, pushing a sense of peace through him. “Trust me.”

Bucky sighed but kissed your forehead again, having no choice but to trust you.

He just hoped it wouldn’t come back to bite him later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAPPY THANKSGIVING for those celebrating it this week! 
> 
> Thepracticalheartmom and I are so thankful for all of your wonderful comments and likes. Everytime we get a new one, it makes our day!


	29. Red

You and Steve stepped off the quinjet outside of Helen’s lab. “Call it, Cap’.” you said.

“Follow me, stay close.” Steve entered the building, finding Dr. Cho’s staff and then a very injured Dr. Cho. “He’s uploading himself into the body.”

“Where?” Steve asked.

“The real power is inside the Cradle. The gem, its power is uncontainable. You can’t just blow it up. You have to get the Cradle to Stark.”

“First, I have to find it.”

“Go.” Helen said softly.

You followed close behind, taking in the scene. Ultron was rage. There was no doubt to that. But why did he need a human-like body? It just didn’t make any sense.

Steve put his hand up to his comms. “Did you guys copy that?”

Clint’s response was loud and clear. “We did.”

Natasha came on next. “I got a private jet taking off, across town, no manifest. That could be him”

Clint noticed something. “There, it’s the truck from the lab. Right above you. Cap. On the loop by the bridge. It’s them. I got three with the Cradle, one in the cab. I could take out the driver.

Steve shouted, “Negative! If that truck crashes, the gem could level the city. We need to draw out Ultron. Steve jumps onto the roof of the truck. You watch from above. Making a split second decision you follow, landing on the truck behind Steve with a smirk. “You didn’t think I’d let you have all the fun did you?”

Steve shot you a glare that could have leveled a city but you just smirked and readied yourself. A split second later, you had to dive out of the way as several shots fired from inside the truck. “Doll!” Steve called. You rolled off the side of the truck and clung to the rail to prevent yourself from falling off entirely. Steve reached for your hand, but he didn’t get a chance to grab it before he was shot into the air and fell hard against the back of the truck. He rolled off the edge and barely caught himself against a door as it was blasted open.

You grunted as you pushed yourself up onto the back of the truck and army crawled towards the back. 

You watched as ULTRON stood next to the doors that Steve was barely clinging to and you threw yourself onto ULTRON. You wrapped your arms around his neck, clinging with all your strength.

“Doll! No!” Steve cried.

ULTRON didn’t even seem fazed as he reached up and gripped you by the back of the suit and flung you like a ragdoll back into the truck. Your back slammed hard against the cradle, and your breath was entirely knocked out of you as your spine impacted the hard surface.

You struggled to catch your breath for a moment as you heard Natasha’s quip come over the comms. “I’m always picking up after you boys.”

Natasha threw Steve his shield and you saw ULTRON fall off of him. You pushed to your knees as Natasha launched herself into the truck beside you. “You taking a break already?” She quipped.

“Shut up.” You groaned, pushing to your feet.

You were knocked back down almost immediately after as you felt the truck suddenly being lifted off the ground. The familiar sound of thrusters tells you it isn’t good. “The package is airborne. I have a clean shot.” Clint called.

“Negative. Y/N and I are still in the truck.” Nat hissed.

“What the hell are you two doing…”

“Just be ready. I’m sending the package to you.” You and Nat made quick work of the cables keeping the cradle tied to the truck.

“How do you want me to take it?”

“Uhhh, you might wish you hadn’t asked that.” Natasha nodded to you and you shoved the Cradle out the back of the truck, pulling Nat onto it as it fell.

Just as the cradle was about to slam into the open quinjet, you saw ULTRON grab Nat by the foot and reach for your arm. You tried to go for your gun, but he batted it aside effortlessly and gripped you by the arm before he shot off into sky, your struggling cries falling on deaf ears.

\----------------------------

“Nat! Y/N! Cap, do you see them?” Clint screamed into the comms.

“If you have the package, get it to Stark! Go!” Steve ordered.

“Do you have eyes on them?!”

“Go!” Steve ordered again.

Clint slammed his hands against the console and cursed, but followed orders as he turned the jet and shot off in the direction of New York.

Steve bowed his head, a sickly feeling building up in his gut as Clint's words sunk in.

No . . . 

“Did you get it?” Wanda asked.

“Stark will take care of it.” He said, pushing past the twins, desperate to find a ride back to the tower so he could start looking for you.

Wanda reached out and grabbed his hand. “He won’t.” She said, her eyes wide and sad. “ULTRON can’t tell the difference between saving the world and ending it. Where do you think he gets that from?”

Steve pressed a hand to his ear. “Stark? You copy?”

Static filled the comms. “Clint? Does anyone read?”

Static.

Steve’s heart galloped into overdrive. “Let’s go.” He ordered.

\-------------------------------------

Bucky paced around the tower as the quinjet came to a land. Something hadn’t felt right about this entire thing from the get go and he just needed to hold you in his arms. 

The jet door opened and Clint stomped out, pushing the cradle down the ramp. Bucky glanced past him impatiently. “Nat? Y/N?” He asked.

Clint shook his head and Bucky’s heart broke.

“ULTRON got ‘em.” The archer bit out. “Cap’ said to leave ‘em.”

Bucky.

Saw.

Red.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Weeeell.
> 
> Crap.


	30. Words Left Unspoken

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We hope you enjoy our thirtieth chapter of Southern Belle, due to the holidays and personal commitments, chapter updates will slow down to roughly once a week through the new year. We appreciate your support... Now on to the good stuff!

Steve landed his borrowed helicopter in the hanger next to the quinjet and jumped out of it, twins by his side. He pulled his shield off his back and immediately took off for Tony’s lab. He didn’t get very far.

A metal arm snuck out of nowhere and slammed into Steve, knocking him to the ground. “You LEFT HER?!” He demanded.

Steve glanced at the twins who were staring at Bucky with a mix of shock and horror. “Go! Stop Tony!” He ordered.

Pietro didn’t hesitate as he swept Wanda up in his arms and dashed away. 

Steve pushed to his feet and held out his hands placatingly as Bucky advanced. “The cradle was the priority . . .” He started.

“Bullshit!” Bucky yelled, lunging for him. Steve dove out of the way and grabbed his shield, raising it just in time to block a blow from Bucky’s metal arm. 

“She needed you!” Bucky screamed, tears threatening to spill over as the winter soldier threatened to take hold.

Guilt tore at Steve’s heart, and he couldn’t deny it. He’d left you. 

“It was her or the world, Buck!” He pleaded with Bucky to understand.

“She is MY world!” Bucky screamed.

Steve’s heart broke in two. He remembered a time when he’d been Bucky’s world but all that had changed the day he’d let Bucky fall. Steve hung his head and dropped his shield, the fight bleeding out of him. 

“You’re right.” He cried, tears slipping down his face. “Do what you need to do.”

Bucky raised his fists above his head, ready to bring them down on Steve. The darkest hell-holes of his mind screamed at him to end it. To bring Steve the kind of pain he was feeling but he took one last look at the face he’d once known so well and he . . . couldn’t do it.

Bucky’s shoulders slumped, his hands falling limply by his sides. 

  
Steve glanced up at him but Bucky refused to meet his gaze.

Steve hesitatingly pushed to his feet. “We’ll find her.” He offered. “We’ll bring her home.”

Bucky shot one last look at him. “We’d better.” 

The threat was unspoken, but hit home all the same. 

Steve could only nod in response.

A crash sounded in the distance and Bucky abandoned Steve entirely as he raced towards it. Steve was right on his tail.

The two burst into the room just as a . . . thing . . . burst out of the cradle Clint had wheeled in earlier. The one you may have given your life for.

Bucky swallowed hard, his hand reaching for his weapon. Steve tensed beside him, shield raised, poised for attack.

Thor held out a hand and motioned for them to stop. 

“I’m sorry. That was . . . odd.” The red tinged man said as he glanced around at the team. He glanced at Thor. “Thank you.”

“You helped create this?” Steve asked, turning to Thor.

Thor nodded. “I had a vision. He must be in order to defeat the metal beast. We cannot do it ourselves.”

“Not alone.” The newcomer added.

“Why does he sound like JARVIS?” Steve asked, turning a suspicious glare in Tony’s direction.

“We recognifigured JARVIS’ matrix. He’s in there.”

“So you’re JARVIS.” Steve said, turning to the red man.

The man shook his head. “I’m not JARVIS. I’m not ULTRON. I simply . . . am.”

Bucky shook his head. “I don’t care who you are. Can you help us take down ULTRON or not?”

The man cocked his head and flew closer to Bucky. “You . . . need him defeated. More than the others do. Why?”

Bucky clenched his fist. “He took someone from me.”

The man glanced at Steve and back at Bucky. “I understand. I will help you.”

“Hold on. What makes you think we should just trust you, huh?” Clint asked.

Wanda nodded. “I looked into your head. I saw only annihilation.”

“Look again.” 

Clint scoffed. “Her opinion means nothing to me.”

The man sighed and moved through the room. “Trust me or do not. We haven’t much time. I suggest we move.” He held out Thor’s hammer to the god and the entire room fell silent at the clear display.

Bucky twitched in impatience. “We move.” He ordered, breaking everyone’s trance.

Steve glanced at Bucky guiltily and nodded. “Suit up. We don’t have much time.”

  
  


\-----------------------------

  
  


You groaned and rubbed your head, glancing around the room. Natasha scoffed next to you and kicked at your leg lightly. “Never make a noise when you wake up in a strange place. Get your bearings first.” She ordered.

“Are we really back to the master student relationship right now, Nat? Really?” You asked as you pushed to your feet and took a better look around.

“There’s always room for improvement. You should know that . . . padawan.” Nat smirked before she turned back to the device she was fiddling with.

“What are you doing?” You asked.

She glanced at you. “With any luck? Sending a message.”

You glanced around your prison cell and a sinking feeling filled you. “You think they’ll actually get it?”

“Clint’s smarter than he seems.” She threw out offhandedly. “They’ll come for us. And unless I miss my guess, two of them will come right to you first.”

You stuck your tongue out at her before you started fiddling with the locking mechanism on your cage. “I ain’t no damsel.” You gripped under your breath. 

You would find a way out of here before your boys showed up for you if it killed you.

You wouldn’t want to have to tell Steve he was right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you think? We love reading your comments, seriously we read them together in our Discord group and gush over how amazing you all are! Let us hear your thoughts!


	31. Sokovia

Steve glanced at Bucky who was taking his guns apart and putting them back together again. Steve looked at his shield and sighed. He desperately prayed that wherever you were, you were safe and that you knew they were coming for you.

Clint said that he’d gotten a message from Nat and seemed to think that no news from ULTRON was good news. If you were dead, ULTRON would be rubbing the team’s faces in it. But Steve couldn’t help but think that maybe . . . 

Maybe there wouldn’t be anything to find.

Steve swallowed hard and glanced down at his reflection in his shield and forced himself to think of anything else. He couldn’t believe that you were dead.

He just couldn’t.

“Cap’.” Tony said, turning to Steve with a pointed look.

Steve nodded and slipped into his Captain personna as he turned to the team. “Okay, listen up.” The entire team turned their attention to Steve as he geared up for a rousing speech. Everyone, that was, except Bucky. “Ultron knows we’re coming. Odds are we’ll be riding into heavy fire, and that’s what we signed up for. But the people of Sokovia, they didn’t. So our first priority is getting them out.”

Bucky mumbled under his breath. “You should be more focused on getting our girl out.”

Steve grit his jaw and did his best not to take it personally. He was feeling the same guilt and frustration that Bucky was. Steve pointedly ignored Bucky and turned to the rest of the team. “We do our best to protect them. We find Romanov and we get her out. We stop ULTRON.”

Everyone nodded and turned to their gear, prepping for the mission ahead. It was a long flight to Sokovia.

\-----------------------------------

The second the jet landed, everyone scattered to do their job. Bruce and Thor headed off in search of ULTRON and, if possible, Nat and you. Nat had managed to get a message to Clint so the team knew that you were being held near him. Steve grabbed Bruce’s arm just as they were heading out. “Find her.” He begged. “Find both of them.”

Bruce nodded seriously before he turned and followed after Thor. The two moved in near silence as they made their way through the sleeping city. “Natasha? Y/N?” Bruce yells.

The two came to a stop in front of a wall. Thor laid his hand against it. “There’s something in here.” He muttered. “Stand back.”

Bruce retreated as Thor swung his hammer and brought it crashing down against the wall. Debris rained down inside as Thor and Bruce glanced in. A set of stairs rose up and down. The two made eye contact before Thor headed down and Bruce headed up.

“Natasha?” Bruce called? “Y/N?”

“Bruce?” Natasha yells.

Bruce raced up the stairs and made his way to a cell in the middle of the room. He smiled as Natasha’s familiar face glanced back at him. “The team’s in the city, it’s about to light up.”

“I don’t suppose you found a key lying around somewhere?” Natasha quipped. 

Bruce held up a gun and took aim, blasting the cell door open. Natasha stepped out first, you followed close behind. “What’s our play?” you asked, shifting back and forth on your feet. You were ready to get this over with. You were done playing with an overgrown child’s toy gone wrong. 

Bruce looked from Natasha to you, “I’m here to get you to safety.”

Nat’s face was steel and ice. “Job’s not finished.”

Bruce tried to reason with her. “We could help with the evacuation, but I can’t be in a fight near civilians. And you’ve done plenty. Our fight is over.”

“So we just disappear?” Natasha asked pointedly. Bruce hands Natasha two comm units. She passes the second to you and you put it in your ear, just in time to hear FRIDAY’s mechanical voice.

“Sokovia’s going for a ride.”

\----------

Bruce looked paler than you’d ever seen him. “We gotta move.” he rushed. 

“You’re not going to turn green?” Natasha asked, concerned.

“I’ve got a compelling reason not to lose my cool.” Bruce grimaced.

“I adore you.” Natasha said pulling Bruce in for a passionate kiss that had you fake coughing in the background. She pulled back and said “But I need the other guy.” as she pushed him off the cliff. You glanced at Natasha in shock right before Bruce jumped back up, green, and with a smile that could curdle dairy. “Let’s finish the job.”

Bruce grabbed you in his hand and pulled Natasha up onto his back. He jumped into the city. You both yelled out in a short moment of panic. Natasha looked at him one last time. “I really hope this makes us even. Now go be a hero.”

Hulk ran off in one direction, Natasha in another and you in a third. You heard the voice you’d been missing come over the comms, nearly ready to cry at his voice. “Incoming already came in. Stark, you worry about bringing the city down safely. The rest of us have one job. Tear these things apart. You get hurt, hurt ‘em back. You get killed, walk it off.”

“And for gosh sake, watch your language!” you quipped into the comms, you heard a gasp.

“Doll?” Bucky asked, his voice breaking.

“Hi, baby.” You murmured, smiling as you raced through the Sokovian forest, heading straight towards the sounds of fighting in front of you. The city came into view and you hesitated only a second before you raced into the middle of things, lack of weapons be damned.

“Where are you?” Steve grit out in between decapitating one robot and the next.

“Close.” You said shortly, knowing that they weren’t going to like the answer.

Sure enough; “No! Stay where you are! You don’t need to be in the middle of this!” Bucky called.

“Like hell, soldier. I’m an Avenger just like the rest of you!”

“Sorry, Tinman, you’re outnumbered. We need the help. Where are you kid? You got any firepower on you?” Tony asked.

You grimaced and wished you had the ability to switch to a private line. Instead, you grit out a short; “No. But I’ll figure it out.”

Two different voices sent raging cuss words down the line. You ignored them both. You neared the edge of the city and spotted a robot swooping low. You didn’t hesitate as you jumped onto a car and vaulted into the air, latching on to the robot as it shot past you. You grunted as your arm was nearly pulled right out of it’s socket, but you clung to it even as it started trying to pry you off. 

You shot over the city as you tried to get control of it’s weapons.

“Doll.” Bucky’s voice was dangerously calm. “Did I just see you shoot past me on the back of a damn robot?”

“It’s no harder than riding a bronco who hasn’t been broke yet.. It’s all good. I promise I’ve taken harder hits and a looser seat than this metal beast can provide.”

You heard two distinct groans over the comms. “Don’t die please.” 

“You get killed walk it off, right Steve?” you quipped, still a little annoyed that he left you. “And besides, you fucking left me, I don’t wanna hear it!”

You channeled your anger into your work and wrenched a panel off the robot and started hotwiring it’s controls as you clung to it with just your knees. You bit back a few yelps as you shocked your self, but soon enough, you had a robot under your control. You weren’t stupid enough to think it would last long so you found the nearest streetlight and angled your carriage right at it. 

The robot’s arm was severed and went flying one way as you and the rest of the machine crashed to the ground with a groan. You pushed to your feet and saw Steve standing just in front of you, mouth agape, half-tensed to run towards you. Bucky stood beside him, his jaw ticking. 

You limped over to the severed arm and hefted it in your hands. You aimed at a robot just before it shot Steve in the back. You were mad, not murderous. There was a difference. Steve’s head whipped around as the ‘bot crumpled to the ground. You smiled over at Bucky. “Hi, baby.” You smiled. Bucky swallowed hard.

Your grin faded off your face. “Steven.”

Before either of them could answer, you turned on your heel and raced down an adjacent street in search of more bots to kill.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're sorry for the late update. Both LucindaAM and I's lives have both gotten a little crazy recently. There is more in store for Southern Belle and we hope you enjoy this chapter! Let us know in the comments what you think! We appreciate your support for this fic!


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